CPTnet
12 June 2005
HEBRON UPDATE: 2-8 June 2005
Thursday 2 June
While walking in the area below the Ibrahimi Mosque where Palestinians cross
to get to the south side of Hebron from the Old City, Steve Ramer and Donna
Hicks noticed that the doors to a house which the Hebron Rehabilitation
Committee had been restoring had been welded shut.
Friday 3 June
Five members of the CPT delegation joined two team members and another
international for a visit to Palestinian families in the Tel Rumeida
neighborhood. The international and three of the delegates paused at the
Duboyya Street checkpoint to ask two sixteen-year old Palestinian boys how
long Israeli soldiers had detained them. They said they had been there for
two hours. As the international attempted to speak to the boys and to call
human rights monitoring organizations to report the detention, a soldier
began mocking them and the boys, expressing his contempt for international
human rights. The soldier intervened to keep the boys from speaking with a
human rights monitoring group on a cell phone. The international's
insistence on filing a complaint against the soldier brought the soldier's
superior and Israeli police to the scene. After more intense discussion and
after some shoving of some of the delegation members by the military, the
international was taken into police custody. The soldiers then released the
two Palestinian boys.
One of the CPTers called the international at the Kiryat Arba police station
and determined that the international did not require the CPTers' or
delegation members' assistance. Later the CPTer and three delegation members
went to the Kiryat Arba police station and filed their complaints against
the soldier. Police later released the international.
The other CPTer and delegation members visited a family in Tel Rumeida. The
same soldier at the Duboyya Street checkpoint told the CPTer, "All Arabs
must die." The family recounted that Israeli soldiers had been stationed
outside their home for over a year. A year and a half ago, one of the
grandchildren fell out on the front steps. An Israeli soldier slammed the
child's finger in the door as he came by, nearly severing the finger. The
family filed a complaint but declined money to settle the case. The father
told the Israelis that Palestinians do not try to bribe Israelis, and if
Palestinian shad done something like that, they would have been arrested.
One of the sons was shot in the face by an Israeli soldier in 2003.
Saturday 4 June
Hicks and John Lynes walked to Tel Rumeida for afternoon patrol. They
returned through the Duboyya Street checkpoint and spoke to the soldier who
had challenged the CPTers the previous day. The soldier apologized for his
behavior the day before. He also reiterated, "All Arabs must die."
The CPTer, international, and delegates involved in the incident at the
Duboyya Street checkpoint on Friday went to the U.S. Consulate to file a
complaint against the Israeli soldier.
Sunday 5 June
After a meeting with residents of Tel Rumeida and other internationals, Hani
Abu Haikel told CPTers that the Israeli blue police had visited his house
five days or so after the Israeli settler attacks of 21 May. He asked the
police why they were there. They said they had come to take pictures of the
damage done to the trees and home by the settlers. Abu Haikel replied, "Now
you come? Why did you not come when I called you? Why did you not come
when the settlers were here?" The police replied that the situation was
very tense and they could not do anything. Abu Haikel said, "You are the
police. If you cannot do your job then you should leave and let someone
else come who can. Tell me the truth. What is going on here? Why have you
come here today?" The police said the internationals had created pressure
with the media. They continued, "They made us look bad, they showed us
drinking juice while the settlers attacked. It is a bad photo."
A private security guard hired by the Israeli settlers came to his house the
next day. Abu Haikel's father asked, "Who are you?" He said, "I am in
charge of settler security. We heard what has been happening and we want to
apologize." As of this writing, settlers have stopped stoning the house.
Monday 6 June
In the afternoon Lynes and a visiting journalist patrolled in Tel Rumeida.
Approaching the Duboyya Street checkpoint they met a Palestinian lawyer who
invited them to tea at the community center. The Israeli soldiers at the
checkpoint maintained that since Lynes and his companion had entered Tel
Rumeida illegitimately they must leave straightaway through the checkpoint
instead of returning up the hill towards Tel Rumeida. The Palestinian
lawyer handed Lynes the key to the community center. Lynes walked on to the
building and unlocked the door, and was soon joined there by his companion
and by the lawyer. After drinking tea together, Lynes and the journalist
returned to the Duboyya Street checkpoint where the soldiers first refused
to let them pass but later told them to go through.
Tuesday 7 June
Baldwin, Lynes, Dinkins-Curling, and a guest of the team accompanied a
researcher to Tel Rumeida to interview families. Baldwin, Lynes, and the
guest were wearing CPT caps. They passed the Duboyya Street check point, but
Israeli soldiers stopped them at the top of the hill. They climbed up by
another way but later came within sight of the Israelis who had stopped
them. The soldiers detained them for about half an hour and then sent them
down the hill. One of the soldiers said, "If you come that way again, don't
come where we can see you." Dinkins Curling accompanied the researcher to
a home where she interviewed the women.
Wednesday 8 June
In the afternoon, access past the Bab ibBaledeyya at the Beit Romano
checkpoint was closed. An Israeli solider said two petrol bombs had been
thrown at Israeli troops in the Old City. Nobody was injured. Israeli
soldiers detained Palestinians briefly for ID checks.
Later in the afternoon Lynes and a guest of the team patrolled in Tel
Rumeida. Israeli military prevented them from passing through the Duboyya
Street checkpoint, so they went another way. On their return they passed
the checkpoint at the top of the hill where they had been stopped on the
previous day. A soldier at the Duboyya Street checkpoint said "So you got
through after all."
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