CPTnet
28 June 2011
AT-TUWANI: Masked Israeli settlers attack Palestinian shepherds in Meshaha Valley

 On 25 June 2011, eleven Israeli settlers armed with stones and knives attacked Shaadi Muhamari and his brother Kamal Muhamari as they grazed their sheep in Meshaha Valley, next to the Palestinian village of At-Tuwani.  The attack occurred around 10:00 a.m.

According to Shaadi Muhamari, the settlers came down from the Israeli outpost of Havat Ma'on.  Some of the settlers were masked as they ran toward the shepherds throwing stones, yelling blasphemies against Islam, and saying that internationals were now not present to protect them.  A settler attacked Shaadi Muhamri’s donkey with a knife, and when he attempted to stop the attacker and protect his donkey, settlers hit him with stones in the back and torso.  The attack left Shaadi Muhamari with bruises and welts on his back.

 Settlers also chased the Muhamari’s herd for several hundred meters, throwing stones.  According to the shepherds, the soldiers saw the incident and refused to get involved.  Palestinians told internationals that after the attack, they saw IDF soldiers greeting and shaking hands with the settlers as they walked back into the outpost.

 Muhamari told internationals, "We need all the people of the world, Europe and America, to see who is the aggressor, and how the Palestinians are treated by the settlers."

[Note: According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal.  Most settlement outposts, including Havat Ma'on (Hill 833), are considered illegal also under Israeli law.]

 Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.

More pictures are available on the Operation Dove website.