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Thursday, March 24, 2005
Ma'on Settlers Invade Palestinian Land
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ma'on Settlers Invade Palestinian Land
By Diana Zimmerman and Kim Lamberty
20 March 2005
AT-TUWANI-At 9:00 Saturday morning, March 19, CPTer Diana Zimmerman and two members of Operation Dove were called to the house of one of the At-Tuwani shepherds, where they found four Israeli army vehicles and the soldiers in conversation with Palestinian women herding sheep in the area. Suddenly they saw a large group of Israeli settlers coming out of the trees from the settlement outpost Havat Ma'on. The settlers walked to Sorora, an abandoned Palestinian village where several Palestinian shepherds were farming the land and grazing their sheep. Israeli officials have previously confirmed that the land there is open for Palestinian use.
The two members of Operation Dove left to investigate, while Zimmerman stayed behind to film the incident. By the time the internationals reached the scene, Israeli army vehicles had arrived and only one masked adult settler and two unmasked juvenile settlers remained. The settler children threw rocks at the Operation Dove members, and then all three remaining settlers ran into the trees. The soldiers did not interfere or detain them. Palestinians on the scene reported that there were about 12 settlers, one with a gun, who threw rocks at them, chased them, and beat their sheep. As soon as the army arrived, the settlers retreated.
Zimmerman and the Operation Dove members returned to the shepherd's house to wait for the afternoon school patrol. At around noon they saw about 100 settlers streaming out of Ma'on settlement and going to the hill behind the shepherd's house. A large group of Palestinians gathered, and 4 police vehicles and 8 army vehicles arrived shortly thereafter. A 2-hour standoff ensued, with the army, police, and internationals standing between the Palestinians and the Israeli settlers. A high-level Israeli army official arrived and ordered both groups to back away. Before the Palestinian men left the area, they all knelt in a line together and said their afternoon prayers.
Israeli soldiers dispersed the settlers and they began walking toward Ma'on settlement. However, instead of turning right at the "short road" leading toward Ma'on and Havat Ma'on, the settlers turned left and went up the hill and onto the grazing land of another At-Tuwani shepherd. Israeli army officials have previously declared this land open for Palestinian use. The settlers chased all sheep off the hill and toward the home of the shepherd. Afterward, Israeli soldiers walked all the settlers toward Ma'on settlement.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cpthebron/message/575
posted by Somebody @ 6:35 PM Permanent Link
1 Comments:
A response to my posting of this article by a typical Israel-supporter:
"Those settlers should have killed ALL the 'internationals' right there for meddling in their affairs...those assholes should be skinned alive any time they appear there to protect pali pigs...friends of killers must be ersased off the face of earth ....why is it the internationals do not ride the buses with jews when the palis blow them up?Well, at least one of them got what she deserved - good riddance Racheal...hope you are in hell now! "
Source
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