CPTnet
20 March 2005

AT-TUWANI: Ma'on settlers invade Palestinian land

by Diana Zimmerman and Kim Lamberty

At 9:00 Saturday morning, 19 March, 2005 CPTer Diana Zimmerman and two
members of Operation Dove were called to the house of an At-Tuwani shepherd,
where they found four Israeli army vehicles and the soldiers in conversation
with Palestinian women herding sheep in the area. The CPTers then saw a
large group of Israeli settlers suddenly coming out of the trees from the
settlement outpost Havat Ma'on. The settlers walked to Sorora, an abandoned
Palestinian village where several Palestinian shepherds were farming the
land and grazing their sheep. Israeli officials have previously confirmed
that the land there is open for Palestinian use.

The two members of Operation Dove left to investigate, while Zimmerman
stayed behind to film the incident. By the time the internationals reached
the scene, Israeli army vehicles had arrived and only one masked adult
settler and two unmasked juvenile settlers remained. The settler children
threw rocks at the Operation Dove members, and then all three remaining
settlers ran into the trees. The soldiers did not interfere or detain them.
Palestinians on the scene reported that about twelve settlers, one with a
gun, threw rocks at them, chased them, and beat their sheep. As soon as the
army arrived, the settlers retreated.

Zimmerman and the Operation Dove members returned to the shepherd's house to
wait for the afternoon school patrol. At around noon they saw about 100
settlers streaming out of Ma'on settlement and going to the hill behind the
shepherd's house. A large group of Palestinians gathered, and four police
vehicles and eight army vehicles arrived shortly thereafter. A two-hour
standoff ensued, with the army, police, and internationals standing between
the Palestinians and the Israeli settlers. A high-level Israeli army
official arrived and ordered both groups to back away. Before the
Palestinian men left the area, they all knelt in a line together and said
their afternoon prayers.

Israeli soldiers dispersed the settlers and they began walking toward Ma'on
settlement. However, instead of turning right at the "short road" leading
toward Ma'on and Havat Ma'on, the settlers turned left and went up the hill
and onto the grazing land of another At Tuwani shepherd. Israeli army
officials have previously declared this land open for Palestinian use. The
settlers chased all sheep off the hill and toward the home of the shepherd.
Afterward, Israeli soldiers walked all the settlers toward Ma'on settlement.