CPTnet

12 November 2006

AT-TUWANI: Palestinian School Children Attacked by Israeli Settlers; Israeli
Military Fails in Its Duty to Keep Children Safe.

On Saturday 11 November at 2:15 PM Israeli settlers from the illegal
settlement outpost of Havot Ma'on (Hill 833) attacked fourteen children from
the Palestinian villages of Tuba and Magaer al-Abeed. The children attend
school in the village of At-Tuwani and were returning home when the attack
occurred.

Since October of 2004 the children require an Israeli military or police
escort to walk to and from school, because of repeated attacks by settlers
from Hill 833 and the Ma'on settlement.

Saturday's attack took place between the outpost and the village of Tuba
after the military escort departed once the children walked past the
outpost. The soldiers did not wait to ensure that the children reached the
village of Tuba safely.

The soldiers accompanying the children arrived over an hour late in
At-Tuwani because they were occupied with preventing Palestinian farmers
from plowing Palestinian land near Havot Ma'on. The plowing also drew the
attention of the settlers, who, after leaving the disputed field, gathered
near Tuba on the path that the children would soon walk. When the children
ran from the settlers, many dropped their books and bags, and one young girl
lost her shoe in the chase. None of the children required medical attention
from the attack.

Despite the military and police escort, the children have been attacked by
settlers on numerous occasions, the most recent being in May 2006 during the
last weeks of the school year. The school in At-Tuwani opened for the
2006-2007 school year on November 8 and within the first week settlers are
again attacking the children.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense has promised to dismantle the Havot Ma'on
(Hill 833) outpost on numerous occasions because of settler violence but has
yet to follow through on this promise.