CPTnet
July 17, 2002
HEBRON DISTRICT: Israeli military shoots up Beit Ummar

On July 16, Israeli forces entered Beit Ummar mid-morning , shooting for
more than
an hour as they moved through the town.

CPTers Dianne Roe and Greg Rollins went to investigate and found that the
soldiers had shot out the town's electrical transformer, causing an oil leak
and cutting off all electricity. They also shot out more then ten
streetlights and shot holes in many water tanks on the roofs of houses and
the school. (The town's residents are already living with a reduced water
allotment for the dry season.)

While the shooting continued in another area of town, Rollins and Roe
provided accompaniment for a municipal employee as he fixed the town's
electrical transformer.

On the night of Sunday, July 14, Israeli soldiers shout out the village's
telephone connections box, cutting all phone service between Beit Ummar and
the city of Hebron. The Beit Ummar Municipality must receive permission
from the Civil Administration (the Israeli military government of the West
Bank) to restore telephone service to the area.

On Sunday night the Israeli army also detained thirty-two men from 10 pm to
3 am
am Monday. They kept the men standing in an iron cage measuring 3 x 5
meters opposite the Road 60 checkpoint. Municipality spokesperson Ghazi
Brigith told the Beit Ummar team that the army threatened to teargas the men
if they made any noise and told them, "Next time we will arrest your wives
and children."

CPT-Beit Ummar closed at the end of May 2002 for lack of personnel, and
re-opened on June 13, 2002. Team member Dianne Roe reported that as of June
17, phone service had still not been restored.