CPTnet
September 19, 2003
HEBRON: Israeli army moves into military camp, leaves behind big bills

by Diane Janzen

It was a relief to the family of Mahadeen Mitaeb, age 63, when the Israeli
army moved to the new military camp in front of their house, since the army
then stopped occupying the family's house.

CPTers Kathy Kamphoefner and Diane Janzen went up to the neighborhood of
Hubi Janib (Abu Sneineh Hill) to the west of the Old City, to document the
second of the two Israeli military bases put up recently in the H1 area of
Hebron (the area formerly under Palestinian control according to the Hebron
Protocol.)

Mahadeen told the CPTers that Israeli soldiers had occupied the main part of
a house near the base for the four previous months. The large extended
family was left with two small rooms on the ground floor, was not able to
lock the doors at night, and often had problems sleeping. The army broke
several doors and windows in the house, and threw the bedroom furniture
belonging to of one of the sons and daughter-in-laws outside, destroying it.

The house has been in the family since the late '70's. Mahadeen said, "This
is my uncle's house. We had no weapons, no bombs, and no tanks. They shot
at us. They made war on us."

Soldiers used a tank to destroy their garden and a wall (about 3000 shekels
worth of damage), and three tanks remained parked in that area for the four
months that the soldiers occupied the house.

The soldiers used up the water in the family's large cistern. The house is
not on the municipality water line. The army trucked in two tanks of water
for the soldiers, but they refused to give the family any. Mahadeen was
able to truck in several tanks of water for the family now that the soldiers
have left the house. Each water tank costs the family 150 shekels (about
thirty-five dollars.)

The soldiers used 10,000 shekels of electricity without paying for it. The
family's electricity is still off, because they cannot afford to pay the
back bills.

During the time the army occupied the house, a soldier said to Mahadeen,
"You are crazy. Your grandfather is crazy. All of you are crazy." Then
the soldier spit on him. Mahadeen said, "He takes my house and I'm crazy?"

The army built the new fort twenty-five days ago on land taken from the
Yusef Amro family of Wadi Horeyya.

What does Mahadeen think about the new military camp? He said, "We don't
ask the soldiers for anything, and they don't ask us for anything. They are
not coming to our house now. They can be in a military camp there, it is
better than in our house. No one is happy. Not Israelis, not Palestinians,
not President Bush."

To the two CPTers he said, "I want you, when you go, to tell what you see
here, as God watches you, and God sees what you see."