CPTnet
December 23, 1999
Hebron Urgent Action: Family Home and Land under Siege in Beqa'a Valley

For the past two weeks Israeli settlers from the
Hebron area have threatened the home of the Omar Sultan family in the
Beqa'a Valley east of Hebron.

Since November 30, settlers have held regular demonstrations and night
vigils insisting that the Sultan house, where 15 people live, be
demolished.
The Sultan family has several demolition orders from the Israeli military
government.

The settlers claim that the land is theirs. However, the Sultan's have
documents for the land from the early 1900's. When CPT first met him, Omar
Sultan said, "If they
destroy my house, I will not leave. I will be under the sky. Under one
tree I will live."

Last week, settlers planted grapevines and painted Jewish
stars on Palestinian-owned land next to the Sultan's property. When
Palestinian children uprooted the grapevines, one settler threatened the
family, "If you uproot our grapevines, we'll uproot your house."

Settlers have painted Hebrew graffiti, "Givat Ben Kiryat," on an old
Palestinian house nearby. The graffiti, a Hebrew name for a town,
represents an attempt to create yet another Israeli settlement.

On Tuesday, December 21, Israeli settlers held a demonstration and began a
24-hour presence several hundred meters from the Sultan's house. Settlers
have attempted to enter the house on several occasions. Israeli police took
Omar and his son to the police station after a settler who had attempted to
enter their house and pushed Mrs. Sultan, claimed that they had struck him.
The evening of Wednesday, December 22, soldiers moved the settlers across
the bypass road.

CPTer Art Gish, of Athens, OH, is matched with the Sultan family through
his church in CPT's Campaign for Secure Dwellings (CSD). Gish has stayed
with the family for several evenings and is continuing a presence. Today
Omar said, "We feel more safe when someone is supporting us."

Please write to Israeli, U.S. and Canadian government officials. Ask why
the Sultan family, which has legal title to their land and home, is being
threatened by Israeli settlers. Insist that this harassment stop.

Ask why Israeli settlers are trying to create more settlements
when Israel and the Palestinian Authority are negotiating Israeli troop
withdrawals from Palestinian areas. Assert that the Israeli government
should stop the actions of the settlers if it is serious about the peace
process. Send letters, faxes and e-mails of concern to:

ISRAELI GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:

PM Ehud Barak -- email: pm@pmo.gov.il or rohm@pmo.gov.il

Fax: 011-972-2-566-4838

Israeli Ambassador to Canada

Ambassador David Sultan; 50 O'Connor St., Ste. 1005; Ottawa, ON
K1P 6L2; Tel: 613-567-6450 Fax: 613-237-8865

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy, House of Commons,
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 (no postage necessary); tel: 613-995-1851; fax:
613-996-3443; e-mail axworl@parl.gc.ca

Canadian Embassy to Israel, Ambassador David Berger, Tel: 011-972-
3-636-3399; Fax: 011-972-3-636-3384; PO Box 6410, 3 Nirim St,
Yad Eliyahu, Tel Aviv 67060

U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

President Bill Clinton, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC
20500; tel. 202-456-1414; e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov

US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, 2201 C St. NW,
Washington, DC 20520; tel: State Dept. switchboard 202-647-4000;
fax: 202-736-4461; e-mail: secretary@state.gov.

U.S. Embassy, Ambassador Edward Walker, Tel: 011-972-3-
5197575, Fax: 011-972-3-5173227, 71 Hayarkon St., Tel Aviv,
Israel 63903