CPTnet
3 September 2007
HEBRON: Israeli settlers threaten land, injure nonviolent activist
by Dianne Roe
On 31 August, Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian nonviolent activist
Issa Amro as he helped harvest hay in the Al Ja'abari fields across from
Kiryat Arba settlement. Israelis from B'nei Avraham organized the harvest
in cooperation with landowner Anan Al Ja'abari.
Amro, whose own house in Tel Rumeida is a target for settler attacks, called
CPT on 30 August to ask if team members could go to the Ja'abari land early
in the morning to try preventing the settlers from occupying the land.
CPTer John Lynes visited the Ja'abari family at 8:00 a.m. and learned that
settlers had attacked the Ja'abari home in the night, smashing a light and
threatening the family. Dianne Roe and Mary Wendeln went to the land at
8:20 a.m. as Israeli settlers were arriving with loud speakers, blankets,
bottles of cola and fruit drinks. Roe called Amro who arrived about 8:40
with other internationals.
Roe and Lynes sat under the olive tree in the center of the field below the
area the settlers had spread their blankets. Settler activist Anat Cohen
climbed the tree and directed the settler youth who surrounded the tree and
threw bottles of cola and juice on Roe as she was attempting to video. At
about 9:00 a.m., the Israeli peace activists arrived and went to the field
above where the settlers had placed their blankets.
Most of the settler youth then ran to the upper field to try to disrupt the
B'nei Avraham solidarity harvest. Police and soldiers already on the scene
moved in quickly whenever the settlers threatened. They were unable to
prevent the attack on Amro, however. According to an international
eyewitness, soldiers put Amro on a stretcher, and settler youth poured water
on him while he was strapped to the stretcher. He received treatment at
Hebron's Alia hospital and was released around noon.
Israeli peace activists and the Palestinian farmers continued to harvest
until early afternoon, when most of the activists from B'nei Avraham left to
observe Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath) in their homes. Fearing further intrusions,
Ja'abari requested internationals to stay in his home that night. Lynes
spent the night with the family, and Bnei Avraham put out a call for
additional Israelis to stay with the Ja'abaris.
Photos of the harvest and settler confrontation may be viewed at
http://www.cpt.org/gallery/07-08-31-Reclaiming-the-Al-Jabari-field-from-Isra
eli-intruders
Photos taken by the Bnei Avraham activists are available at
http://groups.google.com/group/bnei-avraham/files
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Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) seeks to enlist the whole church in
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