Soldiers attempt to search Christian Peacemaker Team premises

Donna Hicks, Christian Peacemaker Team. On Sunday 11 November 2007 around 4:30pm Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) members Lorne Friesen, Jessica Frederick, Eileen Hanson and Donna Hicks followed a patrol of six Israeli soldiers entering Hebron's Old City. The soldiers turned into the street on which the CPT premises are located, checking doorways along the way. When the soldiers unlatched the CPT street door, Hanson asked them what they were doing, clearly stating they were entering the CPT home and that CPT had not invited them in. When the soldiers and CPTers reached the patio outside the home, the soldiers demanded that the family and guests in the neighboring apartment leave so the soldiers could search the apartment for weapons. Friesen stated that CPT had no weapons. Hanson demanded to see a search warrant and stated again that the homeowners had not invited the soldiers in. While the leader of the patrol communicated with an officer on the radio, CPT's neighbor translated what her small niece was saying: that she was not happy because soldiers sometimes enter her home, that she remembered the night Israeli soldiers told all the men to come outside and they were "rounded up". After further conversations on the radio, the soldiers departed around 5:00pm without searching the premises.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/

gallery A map of the center of Hebron is at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/0/5618737E38C0B3DE8525708C004BA584/$File/ocha_OTS_hebron_oPt010805.pdf?OpenElement The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU0705_En.pdf

Hebron Reflection: Which toys for which boys?

Jan Benvie, Christian Peacemaker Teams, 16.10.07. During the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr (the festival of fast breaking), marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, children are given Eid gifts - new clothes, toys and sweets. A common Eid gift for boys is a toy gun. Some are water pistols, some shoot little plastic pellets, some are ominously like the real thing. Palestinian children do not need to watch television or play violent video games to become attracted to guns. Here in Hebron armed Israeli soldiers patrol the streets throughout the day (and sometimes night). Palestinian children pass armed soldiers at checkpoints every day when traveling to and from school. They regularly see armed settlers in the streets between the settlements and the synagogue.

For the Israeli military it appears that real guns in the hands of Israeli's are acceptable, but toy guns in the hands of Palestinian children are unacceptable.

A few weeks ago CPTers saw heavily armed Israeli soldiers ordering Palestinian shopkeepers to remove the toy guns from their shops. Over the past week or so, Palestinians have reported instances of Israeli soldiers taking toy guns from children. Two days ago I watched in amazement as an Israeli soldier snatched a small gun from the hands of a Palestinian child. When I attempted to photograph the incident another soldier tried to stop me.

He told me "It is against the law for a Palestinian to have a gun or anything that looks like a gun, or that sounds like a gun, like fire crackers. It is dangerous1. The children point them at us. If we shoot them, that is their fault."

When I suggested to him that it would be even less dangerous if he were not walking in a Palestinian area with a real gun, he replied "We have to protect our civilians."

I don't like guns of any sort, real or toy. I do worry when I see young Palestinian children hiding in alley-ways of the old market, jumping out and 'firing' their guns at passers by. I also worry when I see the heavily armed Israeli military and settlers on the streets.

I am glad the Israeli military are concerned about shooting Palestinian children. Goodness knows, enough have been killed - since 2000 Israeli security forces have killed 858 Palestinian minors (http://www.btselem.org/English/Statistics/Casualties.asp). However, I believe ending the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories is the answer, not heavily armed Israeli soldiers snatching toy guns from the hands of Palestinian children.

1On Tuesday 2 October, 2007, the Israeli border police shot two Palestinians near the Ibrahimi Mosque. Many people reported that, immediately before the shooting, a Palestinian man had approached the checkpoint with a toy gun and set off firecrackers.

For photos of children & soldiers in Hebron see http://www.cpt.org/gallery/album222

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/

gallery A map of the center of Hebron is at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/0/5618737E38C0B3DE8525708C004BA584/$File/ocha_OTS_hebron_oPt010805.pdf?OpenElement The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU0705_En.pdf

Havot Ma'on settlers attack CPTers, steal video camera

Christian Peacemaker Teams, 28/09/07. Settlers from the Havot Ma'on outpost attacked CPTers accompanying shepherds in Khoruba valley near Tuwani village. Four CPTers were accompanying two young shepherds and their sheep on a hill between Khoruba and Mashakha valleys. Shortly after 7 am, fifteen settlers emerged from the trees of Havot Ma'on outpost, most of them clad in white robes and shawls. Three young settlers shouted and cursed as they chased the CPTers, shepherds and sheep down into Khoruba valley. The three settlers began throwing stones once they approached two of the CPTers. One settler attempted to grab a CPT video camera, while another threatened, "You come back here and we kill you." The settlers wrapped their robes around their faces and continued to throw stones. A settler successfully seized the video camera from one CPTer, and retreated. The CPTers demanded the return of the camera. One settler responded, "You go now and you go with your life."

After leaving the immediate area, the CPTers notified the police and continued to accompany shepherds on Khoruba Hill. An army jeep and police car arrived 40 minutes later, and two CPTers reported the details of the incident. One CPTer traveled with the police to Kiryat Arba police station to file testimony for a formal complaint. The investigation is pending, though police admitted that it is difficult to investigate during the Sukkoth holidays.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/

gallery A map of the center of Hebron is at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/0/5618737E38C0B3DE8525708C004BA584/$File/ocha_OTS_hebron_oPt010805.pdf?OpenElement The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU0705_En.pdf

Checkpoints: What's the Point?

Eileen Hanson, Christian Peacemaker Teams, 11/09/07. After waving a pick-up truck along, one soldier pointed the laser guide of his automatic weapon at the abdomen of the young boy riding in the back of the truck. The boy said something, and then the laser point moved, appearing next on the child's face. It was then I thought I could see the point, tragic and awful as it is. It isn't about finding weapons or stolen cars. It's not about finding the bad guy. It's a display of power. Checkpoints are a way of reminding everyone, even the kids, who's in charge. If that's the point, then these flying checkpoints certainly do that.

The last two Friday nights, the Israeli army set up a 'flying' (temporary, mobile) checkpoint just outside Tuwani. Checkpoints on the highway beside Tuwani are a regular occurrence. One jeep, four soldiers and a string of spikes across the road constitute a checkpoint. Each time the soldiers show up, we go down to the road to monitor what is happening. We document the checkpoint, as well as any searches that take place and are present to respond in case of abuses.

Typically these temporary checkpoints last a few hours. Soldiers stop cars, check ID's and search a few trunks. Much of the traffic in the area is actually foot traffic, people walking from villages around Tuwani to and from the nearby city of Yatta. Men, women and children, including infants in their mothers' arms, are checked. Aside from settler traffic on the highway, which does not have to stop, soldiers mostly see a lot of tractors and sheep trailers. I wondered this Friday if they were going to search the sheep!

After seeing this countless times and failing to see the point, last night I asked one young soldier on duty what they were doing. He said they were "looking for stolen cars or weapons." Still curious I followed up, "Do you find a lot of weapons this way?" "No. The people with the weapons see the checkpoint and make a U-turn. There's nothing we can do." Since I felt he understood me, and also because I was tired of standing around on a cold windy night, I pressed a bit and said, "So that makes this kind of pointless, huh?" Now were both smiling, and he said, "Yes. If it were up to me, I'd be home in bed."

They can't possibly find anything using this method. Not that I'm convinced there's anything to find. The soldiers and jeeps are visible from a half mile away. Anyone who might be trying to move contraband could simply wait until the soldiers leave. Everyone knows this, including the soldiers.

But there must be some point to it. Otherwise why are these soldiers ordered time and time again to set up these checkpoints?

On Saturday, soldiers again set up a flying checkpoint just outside Tuwani. This group of soldiers seemed particularly dangerous. They were wrestling with one another and pointing the laser guides of their automatic weapons at objects in the darkness. They were rude and rowdy, particularly as the evening wore on. When they turned up the American rock and roll music, I wondered if this is what the US occupation in Iraq looks like.

After waving a pick-up truck along, one soldier pointed the laser guide of his automatic weapon at the abdomen of the young boy riding in the back of the truck. The boy said something, and then the laser point moved, appearing next on the child's face.

It was then I thought I could see the point, tragic and awful as it is. It isn't about finding weapons or stolen cars. It's not about finding the bad guy. It's a display of power. Checkpoints are a way of reminding everyone, even the kids, who's in charge. If that's the point, then these flying checkpoints certainly do that.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/gallery A map of the center of Hebron is at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/0/5618737E38C0B3DE8525708C004BA584/$File/ocha_OTS_hebron_oPt010805.pdf?OpenElement The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU0705_En.pdf

At-Tuwani: The tiger and the deer

Seán O'Neill, Christian Peacemaker Teams, 08/09/07. Recently one evening while up with sheep on a hill overlooking route 317, I saw a jeep pull up on the road to Yatta for a flying checkpoint. I took my camera and went down to film. There were several cars lined up and two soldiers checking them, with a third standing at a distance, his gun at the ready.

Altogether, several cars, a man on a donkey, a tractor, and an old man on foot came through the checkpoint. The cars had their trunks and hoods opened and checked. The soldiers even gave the donkey a once over to make sure it wasn't laden with some kind of explosives. When we were sitting later, after the cars had passed, the soldier who had stood at a distance struck up a conversation with me. It was the regular stuff: Where are you from? What are you doing here? I explained what we did and he said that he respected our work, even if he didn't agree with it. He was a nice guy, a reservist, doing his one month for the year. Then he'll go back to being a social worker in real life. At one point, my teammate called and asked when I thought I might be back so she could put the pasta in the water to boil. I turned to the soldiers and asked, "Hey guys, we're having pasta tonight and would like to know when we can put the pasta in the water." The soldier smiled and told me we could start it now, that I could leave and he would make sure nothing happened. I smiled back and said, "Thanks, but you do your job and I'll do mine."

"Yeah," he said. "Everyone has to do their job. The tiger has to do his job and the deer has to do his job."

"I guess," I said. "But I don't want to be a tiger."

He looked down at the ground for a moment, contemplatively. "I don't want to be a tiger either. You know, I am a deer at home."

You meet all kinds of soldiers at a checkpoint. Soldiers who aren't sure why they are there. Soldiers who want nothing more than to finish their service and leave Israel behind forever. Soldiers who admire and respect the settlers and think the Palestinians are liars, thieves, and murderers. One soldier I met recently at a checkpoint was from Russia and proudly told me that his brother was a sniper in the Soviet army when they invaded Afghanistan. He is a career tiger. And then there's the gentle, friendly, social worker. A guy who, 11 months of the year, devotes himself to helping the needy and less fortunate. Then one month a year he trains a gun on shepherds trying to go home to their families.

What is it that turns a deer into a tiger, and how can it be stopped? That's the million dollar question. I think fear is one of the answers. In the case of the social worker, I think it was a sense of duty. But to whom and to what? As for stopping it, I guess it takes love for our fellow human beings; an ability to empathize with them rather than fear them. Easier said than done.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/gallery A map of the center of Hebron is at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/0/5618737E38C0B3DE8525708C004BA584/$File/ocha_OTS_hebron_oPt010805.pdf?OpenElement The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU0705_En.pdf

Olive Harvest 2007: You Are Needed More Than Ever!

Join Us in Palestine for the 2007 Olive Harvest Campaign! Palestinian
farmers and agricultural organizations, in coordination with the
International Solidarity Movement, the International Women's Peace
Service, and the Christian Peacemaker Team announce the 2007 Olive
Harvest Campaign. The campaign will begin on October 16th, after the
end of Ramadan, and will continue for six to eight weeks, depending on
the size of the harvest.

The Israeli government continues to seize Palestinian land throughout
the West Bank to expand settlements and build its illegal annexation
barrier. As this goes on, Palestinian communities continue to resist
Israel's attempts to cement its control of the West Bank and imprison
Palestinians behind walls and fences.

The Olive Harvest is an annual affirmation of Palestinians'
historical, spiritual and economic connection to their land, and a
rejection of Israeli efforts to seize it. Palestinians are the
indigenous people of this land who have farmed olives here for
thousands of years. The annual harvest is a symbol of life for
Palestinian communities.

Agricultural productivity over the last seven years has decreased
dramatically because of closures and sieges, which prohibit access to
farms and markets. Israel's barrier and increased settler attacks on
farmers and their families in the fields have further diminished
Palestinians' ability to earn a living. Over half a million olive and
fruit trees have been destroyed since September 2000. Palestinian
agriculture is being destroyed by the policies of the Israeli
government and the rights of Palestinians to their land and to a
livelihood are being denied.

International and Israeli volunteers join Palestinians each year to
harvest olives, in spite of efforts by Israeli settlers, soldiers and
bulldozers to destroy this vital piece of Palestinian life.

How It Works

The Olive Harvest Campaign provides a wonderful opportunity to spend
time with Palestinian families in their olive groves and homes. The
presence of internationals during harvest time has proven in the past
to help limit and decrease the severity of attacks. Last year (2006)
was the first year since the beginning of the intifada that a farmer
was not murdered while trying to harvest his olives. One farmer was
severely beaten, and in that instance, no internationals or Israelis
were present. Your presence makes all the difference in reducing the
levels of violence Palestinians experience while standing up for their
rights.

After a two-day training session, volunteers for the Olive Harvest
Campaign will stay in Palestinian homes or international apartments in
West Bank communities and accompany Palestinian families to their
olive groves to serve as witnesses to document and expose attacks by
settlers -- supported by the Israeli Army -- on farmers and their
families.

In addition to olive harvest, volunteers will have the opportunity to
join Palestinians in nonviolent protests throughout the West Bank
against the construction of the annexation barrier, settlements and
settlement roads.

This 2007 Olive Harvest Campaign is part of the ongoing work of the
International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led movement
comprising of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists working
to raise awareness about the struggle for Palestinian freedom and an
end to the occupation. ISM uses nonviolent, direct-action methods of
resistance to confront and challenge the Israeli persecution of
Palestinians. With your help and participation, we will expose the
injustice of the Israeli occupation and send a message to the world
that the occupation must end and the wall must fall!

For more information on preparation, travel and arrival in Palestine,
please see the ISM Palestine website, www.palsolidarity.org/main/join/.
ISM support groups located around the world can help answer your
questions about the movement and Olive Harvest Campaign. Many will
provide training sessions. For information on how to contact local ISM
support groups worldwide, please also see the ISM website.


--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Please consider a financial donation to help continue the important work of the ISM. You may donate securely online at our website: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/donations

For more information, visit the ISM website at http://www.palsolidarity.org
PLEASE FORWARD THIS UPDATE WIDELY

A CPTer's Day in At-Tuwani

Peggy Gish, Christian Peacemaker Teams, 28/07/07. Even before the sun appears over the hills to the east of At-Tuwani, in the South Hebron Hills, the village is waking up to the sounds of roosters and donkeys, and of sheep and goats being milked.
As I get up from my sleeping pad on the roof adjoining the small one-room house with tiny attached kitchen and toilet structures, shared by members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and Operation Dove (OD), our neighbor from the stone house next door is already up and
at work.
By 6:45am, we grab our hats, cameras, water bottles, and go to accompany shepherds in two valleys just below the Ma'on (Israeli) Settlement and the Havot Ma'on outpost. In one valley, two or three boys ages 8-14 play around together while their sheep graze on dried grassesamong the thistles. In the Humra and Khoruba valleys we sit on rocks with Palestinian men in the hot sun and chat as their sheep graze nearby. We are on land that they are reclaiming after Israeli settlers had prevented them from being on it several years ago.
By mid-morning the summer heat intensifies and the shepherds take their flocks to nearby cisterns for water and back to their pens. We go back to our house in the village and use the mid day for meetings, writing reports, cleaning chores, hauling up water from the village well from the valley below.
On other days a village leader may ask CPTers to monitor a "flying" Israeli military checkpoint by the road or to take video cameras and document Israeli settlers planting trees or farming
Palestinian land near a settler outpost, but today is "quiet." Next week a summer camp begins for the children at the school and we will monitor their walking in from neighboring villages.
At 4:00pm, the hottest part of the day is over and some shepherds graze their sheep again. This time we only go to the valley to accompany the shepherd boys. Whoever stays back makes supper for the team, using a gas burner on top of a bottled gas canister to cook. Electricity from the village generator is usually on for about four hours every evening.
Some evenings a neighbor family will invite the team to share a meal. This evening a family invited us to their home for a "party" celebrating the father's passing his driving test and getting his license. When the family played taped music the children and some of the adults had fun dancing in a circle in the middle of the room.
Here after a hard day of work, the people of Tuwani have fun and, for awhile, forget their troubles.
We finish our work or personal chores before climbing onto the roof for the night. Tonight there is a nice breeze blowing making it pleasant as I lie on my mat and look up at the stars. I give
thanks for the day and for the privilege of sharing it with these strong and beautiful people.

Bringing In The Sheaves

Refreshments after the harvesting at Al Jabari home

Esther Kern. Christian Peacemaker Teams. 29/07/07

Gleaning on the hillside,
Gleaning 'ore the plains,
Working for the Master
Among the golden grain

The words of this familiar hymn reverberate through my mind each time I go to harvest by hand, stalks of golden grass on the hillside of a farm nestled between two settlements just outside of Hebron. The 'master' and legal owner of this coveted piece of land is a Palestinian farmer. Yet he cannot till the fertile soil, nor bring his flock of thirty goats to graze on the land, for fear of violence and harassment from nearby settlers. The unattended grape vines lie blackened and gnarled upon the ground. The fields are strewn with plastic bottles, diapers, and paper, carelessly tossed away by passers by. Weeds and thistles grow with abandon.

Not only is the Palestinian farmer prevented from working on his land, but he has been shot at, his children physically assaulted, and he has been arrested on erroneous charges and heavily fined.

The settlers have constructed a tent synagogue on the property. For easy access between the two nearby settlements, the Israeli settlers have built a brick sidewalk and steps through the middle of the property. Street lights line the walkway. So what is wrong with this picture?

The farmer has taken his legal claim to the Israeli high court, which ruled in his favor, and ordered the synagogue, sidewalks and steps to be demolished. The tent was torn down, but rebuilt within several days, and the settler activity continues as before. The farmer can only go onto his land under the protection of groups of international human rights workers and Christian Peacemaker Team members, which happens on a regular basis every Friday evening. Each time, he is challenged by the Israeli Police to provide documents to prove that he is the legal owner of the land. Each time, there is a heavy presence of Israeli police and military with an assortment of weapons and military vehicles which necessarily keep the settlers at bay. In spite of this, one settler attacked and injured two human rights workers on the evening of July 27, an act for which the Israeli police arrested him, and for which plenty of evidence was captured on film.

"Gleaning on the hillside" conjures up images of a peaceful and productive land, hardworking farmers, and one of right relationships. The reality is one of confrontation, violence, and bloodshed. What is wrong with this picture?

For photos of actions on Al Jaberi land see: http://www.cpt.org/gallery/hebron

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/gallery A map of the center of Hebron is at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/0/5618737E38C0B3DE8525708C004BA584/$File/ocha_OTS_hebron_oPt010805.pdf?OpenElement The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU0705_En.pdf

Tent, used as synagogue, erected by settlers on Jaberi property

Reflection: Fear or forgiveness?

Jan Benvie, CPT, 29/07/07. "I know what it is like to be powerless to forgive. That is why I would never say to someone, 'You must forgive.' . I can only say: however much we have been wronged, however justified our hatred, if we cherish it, it will poison us. . we must pray for the power to forgive, for it is in forgiving our enemies that we are healed." (Dr Sheila Cassidy who was tortured in Chile, during the Pinochet regime)

A few weeks ago, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) that provides psychological help to people in Hebron Old City, contacted us. They asked if we could accompany a Palestinian woman and her children on a visit to her parent's home. A house where Israeli settlers live lies between her home and that of her parent's. She is afraid to walk there alone.

We have spoken to some of the Palestinian families in the area and they too believe that the settlers would attack them if they walk alone on the street. Their fear is palpable.

Every Saturday settlers and those we refer to as 'settler visitors' tour the Old City souq. There was a small Jewish community here in Hebron until riots in 1929. Although many Muslim families saved their Jewish neighbors, the Arab rioters killed sixty seven Jews. The British, who ruled Palestine at that time, forcibly evacuated the Jewish survivors. On Saturday the 'tour' comes through the Old City souq, with a heavily armed military escort, visiting the sites related to the pre-1929 community.

We have spoken to some of the visitors and they believe that the 'Arabs' would attack them if it were not for their armed guard. Their fear is palpable.

Here in Hebron we speak with Israeli soldiers, settlers and visitors, and with Palestinian residents and visitors. There is a great deal of fear, anger and distrust, that is deeply and genuinely felt.

A few days ago, I listened to an exchange, in English, between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian man. Each was recounting the wrongs that had been done to their community by the other. Each was justifying the wrongs that their community had done.

As I listened to the exchange, I was reminded of the words of Edward Said, a Palestinian born writer, who spoke of the Palestinians being "the victims of the victims." For Said it was important that both communities acknowledged the suffering of the other.

Like Sheila Cassidy I would never say to someone "You must forgive", but like her I believe in the healing power of forgiveness. Here in Hebron I meet children, Palestinian and Israeli, who throw stones and swear at strangers, because they perceive them as the 'other'. Here in Hebron I see two communities who live in fear of and hatred for the 'other'.

I hope, pray and work for the spirit of understanding and forgiveness to enter into the hearts of the people of Hebron. Only then can they begin on a journey to peace.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, visit our website www.cpt.org Photos of our projects are at www.cpt.org/

gallery A map of the center of Hebron is at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/0/5618737E38C0B3DE8525708C004BA584/$File/ocha_OTS_hebron_oPt010805.pdf?OpenElement The same map is the last page of this report on closures in Hebron: www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU0705_En.pdf

At-Tuwani Update 07-07-11 to 07-07-24

Chistian Peacemaker Teams. Every day the team accompanied Palestinian shepherds in fields near Israeli settlements and settler outposts. The team accompanied shepherds from At-Tuwani and Mufakara in Khoruba valley near the Hill 833 settler outpost. They also accompanied shepherds from the village of Tuba. The team monitored several temporary Israeli military checkpoints on the Palestinian road leading from At-Tuwani north to Yatta. On team during this period were members of Operation Dove (the Doves) and CPTers Diane Janzen, Sarah Scruggs, Matthew Chandler, and Peggy Gish.

Wednesday 11 July

CPTers Chandler and Janzen monitored a temporary checkpoint on Road 317 in the late afternoon. The soldiers briefly stopped a Palestinian from At-Tuwani who later told Janzen the soldiers had yelled at him to run towards them, but he just kept walking. When he got to the jeep, the soldiers asked him why he didn't run and he told them he had already walked 2km. When the soldiers saw the CPTers coming down the hill one said, "Here come the sons of bitches."

Friday 13 July

Chandler and Gish walked to Tuba in the morning. About 10am, a settler security guard and the Israeli army arrived in the area and told the Tuba shepherds they were on Ma'on land. The soldiers said the shepherds were allowed to be on the farmed land lower in the valley, but not up on the hillside. After several minutes of arguing, some of the Palestinians started to leave the area and the soldiers left with the settler security guard.

Saturday 14 July

In Tuba, the settler security guard and the army came again and told the Palestinians they were on Ma'on land. When Chandler and Gish arrived, Palestinians were telling the soldiers the whole valley was theirs and the Israeli military's civil administration, called the District Coordinating Office (DCO), confirmed it two weeks before. The soldiers threatened to arrest one of the teenage boys. A Palestinian asked Chandler to call the DCO. The DCO finally promised to send someone after a call from an Israeli peace activist.

Two more army jeeps, a police jeep, and two border police jeeps arrived and an hour later, the DCO. All of the Israeli forces congregated to speak to the DCO captain. Afterwards, the police returned the IDs to the two Palestinian men and said the valley in question was in fact open to the Palestinians for grazing, but not for farming. One Palestinian told him that was false and said he wanted to speak to the DCO directly.

The DCO captain came and explained the entire valley did indeed belong to the people of Tuba, and they could use it freely. However, he insisted the Palestinians coordinate with the DCO whenever they want to work the land. One Palestinians told him there was no point to coordinating because the DCO never comes when they do.

Sunday 15 July

Janzen and Scruggs visited a family in the village of Magheer el Abeed. The father of the family told the CPTers that at 10am, a truck drove toward him, his sons, and their sheep. A settler emerged from the truck and pointed a gun at them. The Palestinians then descended into the valley and the settler drove away.

Monday 16 July

Janzen and Scruggs went to observe a temporary checkpoint on Road 317, where the police had stopped a car coming from Yatta and were blocking the passage of other vehicles. One of the police officers asked for Scruggs' ID. After she gave him her passport, he told her if she didn't stop taking photos and leave in two minutes she would be arrested. Scruggs moved to the other side of Road 317 and Janzen arrived. About 10 minutes later, the Israeli police moved their vehicle to allow other vehicles to pass. After another 15 minutes, police returned the IDs to the Palestinians and drove away.

Wednesday 18 July

While accompanying shepherds in Khoruba valley, Janzen and Scruggs observed a Palestinian woman walking with her children in the valley toward At-Tuwani. A settler came down from the wooden house in Hill 833 and sat above the road the family was going to walk on. The Palestinians moved to the opposite side of the valley and continued on their way.

Thursday 19 July

In the afternoon, Gish, Chandler, Janzen and Scruggs joined residents of At-Tuwani in a meeting with consulate staff from Australia, Ireland, Norway, and Portugal at the school in At-Tuwani.

At 4:45pm, a plain truck entered At-Tuwani from Hill 833 and drove to a Palestinian home nearby. When Janzen and Chandler arrived, they saw two armed men in the truck: the driver was in civilian clothes, and the passenger in an army uniform. The driver had a still camera and was taking pictures of everyone, but left almost immediately after Janzen and Chandler arrived..

After the truck left, the Palestinians told Chandler and Janzen the men said they were with the DCO, but didn't act like it. They told everyone at the house they had to go inside, and when they did not, the armed men cocked their guns and threatened to start shooting. In the midst of this, they took pictures of the newer construction at the house, saying it was forbidden and would be demolished.

After the incident, one of the Palestinians called the DCO, who said they would come to At-Tuwani. Chandler and Janzen waited at the house until sunset. The DCO never came.

Friday, 20 July

Chandler and Gish responded to a call from a Palestinian regarding settlers from Susya settlement planting on Palestinian land near Qawawis. The CPTers filmed and took pictures of three settlers working in the field and then returned to At-Tuwani.

The same Palestinian man from Susiya called later saying the police and Palestinian landowners had come to the area. When Chandler and a Dove arrived, the police were speaking with the settlers who had been working the land. Up to 20 settlers from the Susya settlement gradually arrived and talked with each other on the side of the road. An army jeep and later two more and two border police jeeps arrived. . .

An hour later, when the DCO officer arrived, he went first to speak with the police and army present. Several settlers argued with them. In the meantime, settlers approached the Palestinians, Chandler and the Dove. The border police intervened to try to keep the two groups separate. Finally, the DCO spoke with one of the Palestinian landowners and told him they had to investigate the matter further to decided who owned the plot of land. Then they declared the area a closed military zone.

Saturday, 21 July

A group of seventy-five Palestinian children from the Hebron area led by a Palestinian peace activist arrived in At-Tuwani for a solidarity visit. When they walked back to their busses parked on Road 317, an army jeep was there. The soldiers said the driver of one of the busses was suspicious because he had Israeli plates stored in the bus, and Palestinians plates on the bus. The soldiers insisted the group must wait for the police to arrive and showed no regard for the children who were forced to wait in the heat without water

The police arrived after about 45 minutes. The children protested while waiting, chanting and crowding around the army and police, saying, "We want to go," and, "We want water." The police and army responded by shouting at the children to go away. After about 1.5 hours in total, the police gave the driver of one bus a citation for parking illegally on the road. The group then left for a tour of Qawawis.

Sunday, 22 July

Chandler and Gish returned to the same plot of land near Qawawis as the previous Friday to join four other internationals in documenting Israeli settlers working on the Palestinian-owned land. Soldiers tried to stop them from going out into the field where the settlers were working, but they went anyway. After the settlers left, they went out and filmed around the work site, where the tractor sat. When they got back to the road, about fifteen teenage settlers came, took their pictures and taunted them. Another military vehicle and a police also came to the scene. When the Palestinian landowners arrived, the CPTers and internationals stood around them and their car to protect them from the settler youth. The landowners spoke to the police, who told them they would have to go to the Kiryat Arba police station the following morning to file their complaint.

Monday, 23 July

The owners of the land that settlers from Susya had been working the previous evening went to the Kiryat Arba police station as directed, but the police did not allow them in to file their complaint.

A Palestinian came by in the evening and told the team he had just returned from the Israeli High Court case regarding the wall along Road 317. The court ruled the Israeli army must disassemble the wall within two weeks and everyday after that time, if it hasn't been removed, they must pay the Palestinians in villages south of the wall a large sum of money.

Tuesday, 24 July

A Palestinian reported to the team in the late afternoon that the army had started to disassemble the wall along Route 317.

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