This Week –
August 30 – September 5, 2020 – in the Occupied Territories
Another
attempt by settler-colonists to raise a new outpost near Birin (Hebron
District) was thwarted; the Israeli army violently quenched a protest vigil by
farmers of the Palestinian village of Shufa (Tul Karm District) against their
land being taken over for the sake of paving an access road to the illegal
outpost Avnei Hefetz, built on their land – an army officer was documented
wildly beating a 60-year old Palestinian; settler-colonists have been
assaulting Palestinian shepherds from Deir Jarir in the West Bank hill range
for some time now, and harassing their flocks – Israeli activists are needed
for daily accompaniement there, as well as in Hamra and Auja in the Palesitnian
Jordan Valley; a Palestinian woman, 9-months pregnant, was wounded by stones
thrown by dozens of settler-colonists at Palestinian vehicles on road 60;
confiscation of equipment, damage and structure demolitions by Israeli army
forces at Zif and Jinba in the South Hebron Hills, as well as near Taqu’a
(Bethlehem District), Wadi Al Siq in the West Bank hill range, and in East
Jerusalem neighborhoods;
Demolitions
and the vandalizing of grain sacks in Jinba, South Hebron Hills
Palestinian
Jordan Valley and West Bank Hill Range
In Auja,k in
the southern Palestinian Jordan Valley, activists accompanied Palestinian
shepherds this week, Tuesday through Friday. In all cases there were no special
incidents noted.
On
Wednesday, September 2, activists were alerted by a report of an attack against
shepherds from Deir Jarir, near the Tayibe Junction in the West Bank Hill
Range. When they arrived they managed to video the assaulting settler-colonist,
and heard from the shepherds that he has been harassing them for some time
now. He throws stones at the flock and
physically attacks them. On the next
days, Thursday and Friday, activists accompanied the flocks there, and in both
cases their presence appeared to make the settler-colonists stay with their own
flocks away from the Palestinian shepherds. On the other hand, on Sunday,
September 6, a settler-colonist directed his flock intentionally towards the
Palestinians’ flocks - the activists prevented the flocks from mixing, and
summoned the police. A policeman arrived but refused to intervene.
On Wednesday
the occupation forces demolished 2 dwellings and an agricultural structure at
Wadi A Siq, in the West Bank Hill Range, where 9 structures have already been
demolished last week.
In the
northern Palestinian Jordan Valley, activists accompanied shepherds at Hamra on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The local vandal preferred to stay away from
the Palestinian shepherds. On Wednesday, however, he came accompanied by a
known right-wing activist, who concentrated on harassing the activists, while
the Hamra settler-colonist tried to chase away the Palestinian flock, which was
on its way home already.
Accompaniment of Palestinian shepherds to
grazing grounds in the West Bank Hill range and the Auja area involves a great
number of activists, and many more are needed during the next few weeks.
To join, please
contact Arik: 050-5607034
At nearby
Samara, it was reported that last week settler-colonists came to the
Palestinian encampment and stole construction frames for raising tents. In this
season the encampment is deserted, and last year too, it served as a favorite
target for the vandal gangs of settler-colonists in the nearby outposts.
South Hebron
Hills
On Sunday,
August 30, settler-colonists once again attempted to found an outpost
south-east of Hebron city, near Birin, from where they were evicted last week.
About 30 settler-colonists came there and erected structures and tents. The
local Palestinians summoned the police, and at night forces came and evicted
the outpost.
On
Wednesday, September 2, Israeli army forces tried to place armored jalopies on
the lands of Palestinian Susya close to the inhabitants’ dwelling tents, for
the sake of military maneuvers. Palestinian activists resisted and the jalopies
were eventually moved to the area of the nearby military case, and served the
soldiers for their maneuvers there. Later that day, soldiers from that base
prevented Susya inhabitants from using the road leading to their district town
of Yatta.
That day,
occupation forces also confiscated a gas station at Zif, and from there
continued to Jinba, where they demolished two dwellings and a sheep pen,
causing severe damages to the electrical system, as well as tearing up sacks of
grain.
On Saturday,
September 5, it was reported again that Israeli army forces doing the bidding
of the settler-colonists at the new outpost in Umm Zaitouna chased away
Palestinian shepherds grazing on privately-owned Palestinian land.
To join Ta'ayush in The
South Hebron Hills this Saturday call 055-2770168
Please make an effort to register no later
than Thursday evening, so we can organize the transportation and the activity
properly. Unfortunately, we will not be able to guarantee registration
afterwards.
Please bring an ID/passport, a hat, water
and food for the day.
It is
advised to take into consideration cultural differences in the choice of
clothing.
Throughout
the West Bank and in East Jerusalem
On Tuesday,
September 1, the occupation forces confiscated construction material close to
Taqu’a in the Bethlehem District. In The northern occupied Palestinian
territory on Tuesday, farmers from Shufa village (Tul Karm District) tried to
hold a protest vigil against their farm lands being stolen for the sake of
paving a road to the illegal outpost Avnei Hefetz (it too was built on the
village’s land). Israeli army forces dispersed them by force, and an officer
was recorded violently attacking a Palestinian in his sixties. Since August 17,
the occupation forces have been pacing a road on lands confiscated from the
villagers, including groves of olive and almond trees that were the livelihood
of numerous families. Since then, the occupation forces have been preventing
the villagers even from protesting this theft.
It was also
reported that on Thursday, September 3, in the evening, dozens of
settler-colonists vandals crowded on road 60 between A-Sawiya and Turmus Aia
(Ramallah District) and threw stones at Palestinian vehicles. A Palestinian
woman, 9-months pregnant- was wounded, and at least two Palestinian vehicles
were damaged.
On Saturday,
it was reported that Israeli army forces blocked a farmers’ track serving
villagers of Sinjil and Abuwein (Ramallah District) from accessing their
farmlands. Last week settler-colonists tried to erect a new outpost here,
inside Area B.
On the night
between Saturday and Sunday, security cameras documented at least 8
settler-colonists who arrived at Huwwara town (Nablus District), puncturing car
tires and throwing stones at other vehicles.
During the
week there were several new Corona-virus cases in Hares village, and so the
weekly protest demonstration there was not held on Friday.
For joining protest in Hares, please
contact Aviv – avivsky@...
In
Jerusalem, on Monday, the occupation forces demolished one dwelling building in
Beit Hanina, and another in Jabal Mukabar.
The weekly
protest vigil in Sheikh Jarrah continues, carefully keeping the emergency (Corona) safety regulations.
Local inhabitants protest the theft of their homes, the takeover by
settler-colonists of the neighborhood, and the Judaization of East Jerusalem,
and call upon anyone supporting their struggle to join them.
We will meet at the Sheikh
Jarrah Garden, Nablus Road and Dahlmann St. at at 4 p.m
