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July 2006

Hebron Region

On 4 July, three armed settlers from the settlement of Susya, located to the southeast of Yatta, burned down the home of Azeez Shinaran, from the village of Sosya. The housing complex consisted of tents and a hut. The Israeli soldiers who arrived one hour later prevented the entry of a fire truck that came from Yatta. On the same day, the Israeli military commander in the area issued an order, authorizing the confiscation of 45 dunam of land to the east of Yatta. The land is located near bypass road 60. According to the order, the aim of the confiscation is to establish a military center and a buffer zone to protect a road utilized by settlers to the south of Yatta. The confiscated land belongs to the Bu Sabha and Abu Oram families. 

On 4 July, settlers from the Ramat Yeshi settlement outpost, located in downtown Hebron, burned three olive trees in Tel Rumeida. The residents put out the fire before it could burn more trees. This fire came 20 days after settlers from the Ramat Yeshi settlement outpost torched 15 olive trees in the same orchard. The trees belong to several Palestinian families in Hebron. The Israeli soldiers who were on duty at a nearby checkpoint did nothing to stop the settlers. 

On 4 July, settlers from the Beit ‘Ain settlement, to the west of the village of Beit Ommar and to the north of Hebron, released goats into the village, damaging approximately 70 dunam of olive and grape orchards. According to the owner of the orchards, Mohammed Sulaibi, dozens of goats belonging to the settlers ate the olive trees. Sulaibi’s land is located between his village of Beit Ommar and the southern town of Hulhool. Sulaibi reported that this is the third time the settlers have released goats onto his land in the last 40 days.  He added that in spite of many complaints submitted to the Israeli police, the settlers continue in their attacks, the end goal of which is to force Sulaibi and his family off the land in order to annex the land for the settlement. 

On 6 July, the Israeli military continued leveling land to the north of Hulhool. The confiscated land will become part of the Karmi Etzor settlement. In order to expand the settlement fences there, dozens of grape vines were uprooted. According to the military order dealing with this issue, more than 70 dunam will be confiscated and enclosed within the fence. The mayor of Hulhool, Ziyad Abu Yousef, said, “in spite of the fact that that the case is in the courts and no decision has yet been reached, the work is continuing, which means that our land will be confiscated and the fence will be built.” 

On July 14, settlers from Kiryat Arba threw stones at a house belonging to Kayed Sa’eed Da’na, as well as three other houses in the area, which is to west of the settlement. On the same day, settlers from the settlement outpost of Ramat Yeshi in downtown Hebron, threw stones at several Palestinians houses in Tel Rumeida. Resident Hamed Abu Aisha reports that one of the windows in his house was broken by the settlers. 

On July 19, settlers from Kiryat Arba, a settlement to the east of Hebron, attacked dozens of children from Wadi Nsara in order to prevent them from using the main street. The settlers claimed that this street is strictly for settler use. While the settlers prevented the children’s movement, they put additional locks on both sides of the street to prevent Palestinian use. The street is the main road linking the eastern section of Hebron to the center of town. Four years ago, settlers, with the support of the Israeli military, prevented the residents from entering the street; if any Palestinians entered, the settlers would attack, just like the violence that occurred on the 19 July. 

Nablus and North of the West Bank

On 2 July, dozens of settlers from the Itamar settlement to the east of Nablus, most of them armed, damaged trees belonging to residents from the village of Beit Furik. Husam Hanani, mayor of the village, stated that the settlers destroyed trees and burned some crops, such as wheat. On the same day, dozens of settlers from an outpost located in the south of the Nablus District, burned several dunam of wheat on land belonging to families from Beit Dajan.  

On 12 July, settlers from Itsehar settlement, to the southeast of Nablus, burned approximately 20 olive trees belonging to families from the village of Ainabus, near the settlement. Eyewitnesses from the village maintain that three armed settlers entered the fields, burned the trees, and then ran back to the aforementioned settlement. 

On 19 July, a settler ran over Wafa Mustafa Zobaidee, 19, while she tried to cross the main junction near the village of Hawwara, to the south of Nablus. The settler fled to the nearby military outpost without giving medical aid to her. Wafa was taken by the Palestinian residents to Rafidya Hospital in Nablus, her case described as serious. It is important to mention that this is not the first instance at this road junction, of a settler hitting a Palestinian and then fleeing the scene. According to Palestinian sources in the village, settlers continue to drive very quickly through the area.  

On 18 July, sewage from the Barkan Industrial Zone in Salfeet District, caused damage to the environment and the water in Salfeet. The sewage ran through valleys and the agricultural land belonging to residents from villages of Borgeen and Kufor el-Deek. One week prior to this dumping, the mayor of Borgeen, Akrema Samara, called upon international human rights organizations to pressure the Israeli Authority to stop the sewage that runs onto Palestinian land.  In addition to damaging the agriculture, the sewage poses a serious health risk to the residents.