1 January 2012
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Settlers from Outpost 26 once again attack Za'atari family home in Al-Bowereh

On 30 December 2011, between ten to twenty settlers in Outpost 26 overlooking the Hebron neighborhood of Al-Bowereh used slingshots to launch stones onto the roof of the Za’atari family home.  The attack began at 6:30 p.m. and lasted approximately one and a half hours.

The father of the family whose section of the multi-family dwelling received most of the stones told CPTers that he called the Israeli police when the stoning began and they told him they would be there within a half hour.  However, they never appeared.

The attack from Outpost 26 is one of many that have occurred over the years in Al-Bowereh, and the lack of Israeli police response is typical.  The extended Za’atari family, because of their homes’ proximity to the outpost has suffered the worst of the vandalism and assaults from the settlers there. 

Photos taken after the attack are available at http://cpt.org/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=24937.

CPT’s Hebron Team, in coordination with volunteers from the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Israel and Palestine (EAPPI) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) has patrolled the two km stretch of road that runs through Al-Bowereh for two years to help ensure the safety of children in the neighborhood walking home from school.

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 Outpost 26, are considered illegal also under Israeli law.