CPTnet
9 June 2007
AT-TUWANI BLOG: Demolitions, sheep theft and a birthday party

[NOTE: The following blog entries by CPTer Heidi Schramm have been edited.
To see Schramm's original entries and accompanying photos go to
http://heidischramm.livejournal.com]

19th April 2007

To celebrate my 25th Birthday, the IDF decided to uproot fifty young olive
trees and demolish a cistern in Tuwani and destroy seven houses in Qawawis
and Imneizel. We never made it out to the home demos, but were kept pretty
busy in the village. Cassandra, Jill and I went out to the field where the
trees were being demolished right away. The soldiers met us before we got
there and told us it was a closed military zone and if we kept walking we
would be arrested. We could hear the bulldozers on the other side of the
hill, so we decided to split up and try to get past anyway.

I had absolutely no trouble getting around the soldiers, although they were
stationed everywhere. After getting fifteen or twenty minutes of really
good footage, they came over and told me to leave. I said I wasn't going
anywhere until I saw the closed military zone order and the map. It took
them awhile, but they did bring it. I still didn't really feel like
leaving, so I made them escort me down the hill.

They left soon after, and we went up to the field with some Palestinians to
survey the damage. It was huge. Fifty olive trees and the only cistern in
the area are gone. Apparently, they told the landowner that this is State
land and they are doing "construction" on it. I have no idea what they are
planning to build, if anything at all.

Back at home, my birthday was nice. The Hebron team gave me chocolate and a
salami, and my teammates gave me a Palestine travel guide, dental floss,
sparkling strawberry juice and a Winnie the Pooh dressed in a chipmunk suit.
I've never had such a variety of gifts before.

21st April 2007

There was a harvesting and grazing action in Tuwani today. It was very
successful. Settlers came out, but the police wouldn't let them leave the
outpost. But while we were all gathered in Tuwani, settlers were stealing
sheep in Tuba. A few Israeli activists managed to get to Tuba while the
settlers were still there. They saw the sheep in the back of Gadalia's (the
settler security guard) pickup truck. The settlers were trying to hide it,
but it was terrified and was bleating incessantly. In the end, the settlers
said they would return the sheep, if the Palestinians left. The Israelis
wanted to keep pushing and get the police over, since all of this was on
video. But the shepherd just wanted his sheep back, so they agreed to
leave. I don't blame him.