CPTnet
25 April 2011
SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Palestinians prune trees as act of resistance in Susiya

On the morning of 23 April, Palestinians from the village of Susiya pruned olive trees on their land in an act of protest against land confiscation and violence by residents from the nearby Israeli settlement, also named Susiya.  Six days earlier, Israeli settlers had attacked and injured a local Palestinian in the area near these olive trees.

The Palestinians, accompanied by Israeli and international peace activists, began working on their trees at approximately 10:00 a.m. Almost immediately, Israeli soldiers appeared and stood above the orchards.  They did not interfere with the pruning.

At approximately 11:00 a.m., four Israeli settlers arrived, then four more.  The soldiers, now re-enforced by Israeli police, did not allow them to approach the Palestinians pruning the olive trees.  After talking with the settlers, the soldiers insisted that all Israelis and internationals leave the area.  The Palestinian families were able to remain and continue working.  As the Israeli and international activists slowly departed, the soldiers moved the settlers away also.  By noon, the villagers had successfully completed their pruning of the olive trees.

Six days before the Saturday pruning action, on Sunday, 17 April, approximately fifty Israeli settlers came from Susiya settlement as Yousef Mor, a Palestinian from the area, was grazing his sheep.  According to Nasser Nawaja, a resident of the nearby Palestinian village, two of the settlers attacked Mor, striking him with stones and injuring his head and his right hand.

The settlers ran back to the settlement before Israeli military and police arrived.  Palestinians in the area managed to film the settlers running back to the settlement.  An ambulance took Mor to Alia hospital in Hebron, where doctors gave him stitches and released him the same evening.