CPTnet
13 May 2005

AT-TUWANI UPDATE:2-9 May 2005

Monday, May 2
In the morning the Israeli army arrived late to escort children from the
neighboring village of Tuba to their school in At-Tuwani. After three phone
calls a Hummer came into sight at 8.07 a.m. No soldier was walking with the
fifteen children, who did not reach school until 8.20.

The team checked to ensure that no more haystacks had been set on fire
overnight. At about 3:50 p.m. Kristin Anderson and Diane Janzen saw four
settlers on horses heading toward the nearby village of Mfakara. In the
past, settlers have apparently ridden around this neighborhood to note the
position of haystacks, returning at night to set fire to them. The CPTers
consulted with local villagers and concluded together that it was not a good
idea to stay up all night to guard the haystacks.

 Tuesday, May 3 The Israeli police, not the army, escorted the Tuba
children. They were punctual, but did not walk with the children.

Anderson and John Lynes walked to Qawawis, an abandoned Palestinian village
whose inhabitants returned in late February with CPT assistance. Israeli
settler violence had previously driven the families from their homes.

Wednesday, May 4
School patrol as on the previous day.

Diane Janzen, David Janzen and Anderson paid a first visit to the team's new
apartment in Yatta. They cleaned the apartment and started to bring in
furniture and equipment.

Saturday, May 7
The Israeli army provided punctual school accompaniment in the morning. But
at noon the Hummer was over an hour late and stopped about 200 meters short
of the north end of the Havat Ma'on plantation. It then set off for Tuba
without waiting for the children. Chelli Stanley dashed across from the CPT
school patrol observation point, intercepted the Hummer and berated the
soldiers. Three soldiers promptly descended from the Hummer and escorted
the children appropriately.

Kristin Anderson and Sally Britton joined a Ta'ayush harvest action in the
nearby village of Susiya. Israeli settlers observed from close by but did
not intervene.

Sunday, May 8
The army escorts arrived promptly and escorted the children as they should,
morning and afternoon.

Britton and Lynes helped with the barley harvest in Mfakara.

Monday, May 9
Army escorts arrived on time in the morning. In the afternoon they set off
with no soldiers walking with the children. Stanley, watching this time
from another house, ran up to the Hummer to remonstrate. Three soldiers
promptly jumped out and starting walking.

Stanley and Lynes accompanied shepherds and harvesters between Hawara and
the Havat Ma'on plantation.

Anderson and Britton photographed damage done by Israeli tanks in fields of
wheat and barley about to be harvested in Jinba.