At-Tuwani, Southern Hebron Hills – 30 January 2010

On Friday, the 29th of January, Palestinians from the village of Jinba planted 300 almond trees in Umm Mraiga, an area near Jinba village, close to the “Firing Area 918”, just north the Green Line. The action was organized to claim the right of local Palestinians to access their private owned land.

At the end of the 90′s, a wide portion of this area was declared by the Israeli Army a “closed military area” and used for military training. Since then, the Palestinians of Jinba, despite being the owners of the land, have not been able to access and to cultivate the fields in proximity of the firing area.

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AT-TUWANI – On Tuesday, 26 January 2010 at least eighteen Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, attacked Palestinians in the village of At-Tuwani. An Israeli soldier punched a Palestinian villager, who was hospitalized for his injuries. Doctors now report that the nose of the villager has been broken and will require an operation.

Women of At-Tuwani also told CPTers that during the attack soldiers threatened them and their children, saying that if they did not leave the area, soldiers would arrest all of the men of the village and kill at least one. Despite being extremely frightened, the women remained where they were and told the soldiers they were welcome to arrest them as well as the men.

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AT-TUWANI – On Tuesday, 26 January 2010 approximately fifteen Israeli settlers from the Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the Israeli outpost of Havat Ma’on attacked Palestinians in the village of At-Tuwani. The settlers were accompanied by Israeli soldiers in three army jeeps and the settlement security agent of Ma’on. Villagers from At-Tuwani arrived, protesting the settlers coming into their village. An Israeli soldier punched a Palestinian villager, who was hospitalized for his injuries. Immediately thereafter, Israeli settlers began throwing stones at the Palestinian villagers while soldiers fired three canisters of tear gas at Palestinians.

Afterwards, the settlers drove to the entrance of At-Tuwani, and began throwing stones at passers-by on the road.
The day’s incident began at 9:20 am when three army jeeps and a pickup truck with an Israeli settler from Havat Ma’on and the settlement security guard from Ma’on drove into At-Tuwani. The settler walked throughout the village, entering Palestinian homes, accompanied by the soldiers and settlement security guard, and then remained in the village and made phone calls until other settlers arrived.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Israeli soldiers attack and injure Palestinian shepherds; arrest Musab Raba’i

7 January 2010

At Tuwani – On the morning of Thursday 7 January, 2010, Israeli soldiers attacked and injured Palestinian shepherds from the Musa Raba’i family, as they grazed their sheep in Humra valley, near the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills. The soldiers also attacked the internationals accompanying the shepherds and broke a video camera. Before leaving the area the soldiers arrested one of the shepherds, Musab Musa Raba’i.

At around 10:30am Palestinian shepherds were grazing their sheep on privately owned Palestinian land when they saw Israeli settlers observing them from the outpost of Havat Ma’on. A short time later an Israeli army jeep came to the area. After stopping to speak with one of the settlers, three Israeli soldiers approached the shepherds and ordered them to leave the area. The shepherds explained that it was their land, but agreed to move further down into the valley. The soldiers followed them and grabbed at one of the shepherds, so they all tried to quickly leave the area with their sheep. A second army jeep came to the area and a further three soldiers joined in the attack escalating the violence. Soldiers hit the shepherds with their rifle butts, pushed them and while some soldiers forcibly held them to the ground others kicked them. [...]

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