AT-TUWANI: Settlers fire on Palestinian shepherds in South Hebron Hills
January 17th, 2008
in:
CPTnet
16 January 2007
AT-TUWANI: Settlers fire on Palestinian shepherds in South Hebron Hills
Late Saturday morning, 12 January 2008, settlers from the expanding Havat Ma’on (Hill 833) outpost fired six shots at shepherds grazing their sheep in a nearby valley. The shepherds and international volunteers with them quickly moved to lower ground, sustaining no injuries.
The incident was part of ongoing problems in the area occurring when shepherds from the nearby villages of Tuba and Maghayir al Abeed have attempted to graze their sheep in valleys to the south of the outpost.
The recent problems began on Friday, when settlers called soldiers to force the shepherds off land to the south of the outpost, land that the settlers hope to control. Soldiers arrived and told international volunteers from Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove that the shepherds must stay off the land.
Saturday morning, the shepherds returned to the land to graze, despite the previous day’s intimidation. Five settlers were seen walking through the nearby village of Mufakara on their way to Khoruba valley, south of the Hill 833 outpost. Another settler left the outpost to join the five, at which time observers saw them pointing towards the shepherds in the valley. At that point, they fired six shots at the shepherds in the valley and ran back into the outpost.
Volunteers accompanying the shepherds called the police. They briefly came to the outpost, and then immediately turned around. When they tried calling again, the police replied that they “had better things to do.”
16 January 2007
AT-TUWANI: Settlers fire on Palestinian shepherds in South Hebron Hills
Late Saturday morning, 12 January 2008, settlers from the expanding Havat Ma’on (Hill 833) outpost fired six shots at shepherds grazing their sheep in a nearby valley. The shepherds and international volunteers with them quickly moved to lower ground, sustaining no injuries.
The incident was part of ongoing problems in the area occurring when shepherds from the nearby villages of Tuba and Maghayir al Abeed have attempted to graze their sheep in valleys to the south of the outpost.
The recent problems began on Friday, when settlers called soldiers to force the shepherds off land to the south of the outpost, land that the settlers hope to control. Soldiers arrived and told international volunteers from Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove that the shepherds must stay off the land.
Saturday morning, the shepherds returned to the land to graze, despite the previous day’s intimidation. Five settlers were seen walking through the nearby village of Mufakara on their way to Khoruba valley, south of the Hill 833 outpost. Another settler left the outpost to join the five, at which time observers saw them pointing towards the shepherds in the valley. At that point, they fired six shots at the shepherds in the valley and ran back into the outpost.
Volunteers accompanying the shepherds called the police. They briefly came to the outpost, and then immediately turned around. When they tried calling again, the police replied that they “had better things to do.”
