CPTnet
9 January 2007

HEBRON UPDATE: 25-31 December 2006

On team during this period were Bill Baldwin, Jan Benvie, John Lynes, Amy
Peters and Dianne Roe.

Monday, 25 December 2006

The team spent Christmas Day in Jerusalem.

Tuesday, 26 December

Israeli soldiers asked CPTers on their way to school patrol for help in
locating a Palestinian man in order to return some money to him. The name
was not familiar to the team so John Lynes called a team translator for
assistance while Bill Baldwin and Amy Peters continued on to the schools.
The translator later returned the money to its rightful owner.

ICAHD telephoned the team around noon, telling them about the Israeli
military destroying grapevines close to Umm Salamuna, a village by the
Israeli settlement of Efrat. Baldwin, Lynes, Peters and Dianne Roe,
accompanied by a team translator, went to investigate. Villagers told them
that early in the morning, Israeli soldiers had started clearing the land
for an extension to a road and the Security Wall. Villagers had succeeded
in obstructing the troops who had bulldozed a swathe through a vineyard. By
the time CPTers arrived, the soldiers had left, promising to return later
with reinforcements. Baldwin and Lynes stayed for a few hours and the other
team members returned to Hebron.

Thursday, 28 December

Simon Hughes, President of the Liberal Democrat Party (third largest party
in the UK parliament), and a Liberal Democratic Councilor from London,
visited the CPT apartment. Lynes took them for a "rooftop tour," and then
Benvie and Lynes led them along Shuhada Street to Tel Rumeida. Israeli
soldiers delayed them at Gates 4/5 for about eight minutes. Hughes spoke
with an Israeli settler on Shuhada Street. He tried to view the
archaeological excavations at the Tel Rumeida settlement, but was stopped by
Israeli soldiers "for his own safety."

Friday, 29 December

At about 10:00 a.m. a neighbor came to the door beckoning the team to look
from her balcony. "Shuhada maftuuha!" ["Shuhada Street is open!"] she said.
Three Palestinians, accompanied by Israelis and internationals had just
walked Shuhada Street carrying a paper-in Arabic and Hebrew-of a recent
court decision that the closure of Shuhada Street to Palestinians is
illegal. A Palestinian member of the International Solidarity Movement
(ISM) who had led the procession later visited the apartment and gave CPT
copies of the order. He was clearly elated, as were the families whose
balconies face the street. (For more information go to
media@palsolidarity.org)

During noon mosque patrol, Benvie and Lynes spoke with two armed Israelis
who explained they were security guards with a school visiting the Tomb of
the Patriarchs. One, who had served in the Israeli army in Hebron,
recognized Lynes from an encounter in 2002.

Saturday, 30 December

Palestinian schools closed for Eid al Adha [Feast of the Sacrifice.]

Benvie and Lynes waited for settlers at the head of Haret Jaber
("Worshippers' Way"), but had no encounters. Returning through the back of
Haret Jaber, they were given candies by Palestinians celebrating the Eid.

Two members of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) visited
the CPT apartment for a chat.

Sunday, 31 December

Baldwin and Benvie toured Tel Rumeida without incident.

A group from Ramallah visited the apartment and the team gave its members a
rooftop tour