AT-TUWANI: Israeli military blocks main access road in South Hebron Hills.
June 3rd, 2008
in:
CPTnet
3 June 2008
AT-TUWANI: Israeli military blocks main access road in South Hebron Hills.
On 28 May 2008, the Israeli military blocked the road between the village of At-Tuwani and the city of Yatta, using three of the concrete blocks from the dismantled wall along Route 317 (See 20 August 2007 CPTnet release, "‘Security’ wall along Rt. 317 dismantled.")
The blocked road is the main vehicle access for Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills to travel to and from the city of Yatta. It also prevents them from accessing health services, including maternity care in Yatta. Yatta serves as the economic hub for the entire region, and the roadblock prevents the supply of basics such as food, water, and animal feed to the villages. A village spokesperson in At-Tuwani told members of Christian Peacemaker Teams that the price of water transported into the village has doubled because the tankers will have to take a longer route. Some schoolchildren and the teachers at the elementary school in At-Tuwani travel each day on this road. Now they have to walk the remainder of the way to school, approximately a kilometer (just over half a mile). The Israeli military has closed or blocked many roads in the Hebron district in recent days.
This particular roadblock comes at time of increased pressure on the villagers as they attempt to harvest wheat and barley from the fields near the Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the Hill 833 settlement outpost (called by the settlers Havat Ma'on). On 27 May, just before the Israeli military erected the roadblock, Israeli settlers attempted to steal wheat At-Tuwani villagers were harvesting. The Israeli army intervened, but forced the Palestinians to leave the wheat in the fields (In the past, settlers have stolen or burned crops that Palestinians left in the fields after harvesting.)
3 June 2008
AT-TUWANI: Israeli military blocks main access road in South Hebron Hills.
On 28 May 2008, the Israeli military blocked the road between the village of At-Tuwani and the city of Yatta, using three of the concrete blocks from the dismantled wall along Route 317 (See 20 August 2007 CPTnet release, "‘Security’ wall along Rt. 317 dismantled.")
The blocked road is the main vehicle access for Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills to travel to and from the city of Yatta. It also prevents them from accessing health services, including maternity care in Yatta. Yatta serves as the economic hub for the entire region, and the roadblock prevents the supply of basics such as food, water, and animal feed to the villages. A village spokesperson in At-Tuwani told members of Christian Peacemaker Teams that the price of water transported into the village has doubled because the tankers will have to take a longer route. Some schoolchildren and the teachers at the elementary school in At-Tuwani travel each day on this road. Now they have to walk the remainder of the way to school, approximately a kilometer (just over half a mile). The Israeli military has closed or blocked many roads in the Hebron district in recent days.
This particular roadblock comes at time of increased pressure on the villagers as they attempt to harvest wheat and barley from the fields near the Israeli settlement of Ma’on and the Hill 833 settlement outpost (called by the settlers Havat Ma'on). On 27 May, just before the Israeli military erected the roadblock, Israeli settlers attempted to steal wheat At-Tuwani villagers were harvesting. The Israeli army intervened, but forced the Palestinians to leave the wheat in the fields (In the past, settlers have stolen or burned crops that Palestinians left in the fields after harvesting.)