CPTnet
December 1, 1003
HEBRON UPDATE: November 13-21, 2003

Thursday, November 13
No curfew

Bourke Kennedy and Mary Lawrence went with visitors from the World Council
of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Program to the Palestinian Prisoners'
Society, (PPS). They met the mother of two young women incarcerated by
Israel. The woman's oldest daughter was imprisoned because she refused to
allow Israeli soldiers to search her bag,
telling them that she did not acknowledge the right of Israeli soldiers to
do so. She received a sentence of three years in prison. Weeks later, her
sister was on her way to a PPS meeting to give a talk on the conditions in
Israeli jails. She also refused to acknowledge the soldiers' authority at a
checkpoint, was arrested and received a sentence of eighteen months. The
CPTers and their guests learned that prisoners are
not allowed to have visits from family members. They may have a visit from a
lawyer, who must be an Israeli.

Gary Brooks responded to a call from a Reuters photographer requesting
accompaniment at the Beit Romano checkpoint. The photojournalist was taking
pictures of soldiers who were randomly checking ID's of young Palestinian
men and women at the checkpoint and the journalist feared the would become
abusive to him and the other Palestinians.

Friday, November 14
No curfew

During noon prayers, team members were unable to move through the market
because of the crowd of worshippers. There were so many people that they
could not all fit into the local mosque and had to pray in the street
outside. Because of the curfew, people have not been able to pray at the
mosque for many weeks.

Wednesday, November 19
No curfew

Greg Rollins and Kristin Anderson went to the Baqa'a valley to visit a
clinic
that was recently set up there. They observed lines of Palestinian mothers
with sick children waiting for treatment. The medical workers stressed the
importance of village-based clinics because of the difficulties Palestinians
encounter when trying to travel to Hebron for medical treatment.

On the way back Rollins and Anderson observed that the Israeli army had put
up plastic road barriers on the Yatta road near Gross square and at other
key sites where Israeli settlers drive past Palestinian homes, thus
restricting Palestinian movement even further.

Thursday, November 20
No curfew

Brooks, Rich Meyer, and a translator went to Al Sendas to visit families
with demolition orders on their homes. As the CPTers approached Qilqas, an
Israeli army jeep stopped alongside them and the soldiers asked them what
they were doing and where they were going. After the CPTers told them the
soldiers drove back the way they had come.

Forty minutes later, as the CPTers were crossing road 60, another Israeli
army jeep pulled up directly in front of them. One soldier jumped out of the
vehicle and rushed to take up a position in a nearby olive grove. Another
soldier looked out through the roof of the jeep and scanned the surrounding
hillside through the scope of his weapon. Two other soldiers approached the
CPTers and demanded to see their identification. One soldier told the CPTers
and the translator that they had received orders to hold them until the
police came. After forty minutes they allowed the CPTers and the translator
to go. The police never arrived.

Friday, November 21
No curfew

Because it was the last Friday of Ramadan thousands of Palestinians
worshipped at the Ibrahimi mosque. Rollins and Brooks went to observe.
There were dozens of police and soldiers in the area, but no incidents
occurred

About noon Brooks saw a group of eight soldiers coming through old Shelaleh
Street, trying to clear vendors from the street. Two of the soldiers
repeatedly kicked tables and pushed vendors and customers aside. Brooks
protested the action and followed the soldiers asking them why they were
trying to clear the street. One of the soldiers told him to go away and not
to follow them.

Rollins arrived to join Brooks and the CPTers followed the soldiers to the
Beit Romano checkpoint. No further incidents occurred.