CPTnet
5 June 2007
AT-TUWANI BLOG: Settlers in handcuffs
[NOTE: The following blog entry by CPTer Heidi Schramm have been edited for
length. To see her original entries and accompanying photos go to
http://heidischramm.livejournal.com]
16th April 2007
Settlers came out into the fields today and chased S and beat his donkey. I
was in the area so I ran to tape what I could, but it wasn't much. My only
real concern at that point was making sure S was okay. There were eight
settlers on the hill where the tent had been erected (which was gone as of
this morning!) About half of them were masked. I relaxed a little when I saw
that S was far down the valley and moving towards the Tuwani shepherds.
One settler asked me if I was a Christian. I said yes. He asked if I know
how to read. I said yes. He said, "Then you know that God gave me this
land." I said nothing.
J called to say he was watching me from another hill, and this settler was
leading me down into the valley and out of his sight. Also, the other
settlers were headed my direction. So, since no Palestinians were in
danger, I had no moral qualms with turning around and running back. It is
so comforting to know that the Palestinians watch out for us, probably more
than we watch out for them.
The police arrived pretty quickly; I'm guessing the settlers called them to
complain about Palestinians on "their" land. They were out on the hill with
the settlers for about half an hour, and then several of them were taken
away in jeeps. I was videotaping and thus watching what was happening
through a very small screen, so I assumed they were getting a ride to the
police station to file a complaint against the Palestinians. But the
shepherds, who have much better eyes than I do even when I'm not looking
through a camera, said the settlers were in handcuffs!
S asked me to go to the police station with him so we could show the video.
H also had to go to bail N and F out of jail. So the three of us went down
to the road to wait for a jeep to pick us up. When it arrived, the driver
said he only had room for two. So, I handed the tape over to H and let them
go.
A police officer called me this afternoon and asked me to come in tomorrow
to give testimony. He also requested that two other shepherds come in to
make statements. So the three of us, plus the two who were finally released
today but need to return to get their things, are going to Kiryat Arba on
the morning.
While H was waiting to pay bail, he saw several of the settlers sitting in
an office in handcuffs. Apparently, the settlers attacked the police when
the police told them the Palestinians were not on settlement land. So, for
once, the police want to use our (international and Palestinian) testimony
to press charges against the settlers. I'm quite looking forward to going
in tomorrow, and hope the video is worth anything.
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