International Volunteers Arrested in Attempt to Report Settler Attack

simms, Jeudi, Mars 24, 2005 - 19:53

Author: International Solidarity Movement (ISM)

First paragraph (Teaser):

A brief update from the ISM mailing list:

International Human Rights Volunteers Arrested in Attempt to Report Settler Attack
Palestinians Continue to Stop the Wall!

Rest of the text:

1. International Human Rights Volunteers Arrested in Attempt to Report Settler Attack
2. Palestinians Continue to Stop the Wall!

******************

1. International Human Rights Volunteers Arrested in Attempt to Report
Settler Attack

[Hebron, West Bank] Israeli Police in the Kiryat Arba settlement have
arrested two Americans assaulted by settlers this morning as well as
two Scandinavian witnesses to the assault. The internationals went to
the police station immediately after the attack to file a complaint.
The police have refused to register the internationals' complaint or
investigate the attack.

The assault happened early this morning in the Palestinian village of
Qawais when masked settlers began chasing and stoning Palestinian
shepherds and their flocks. When the internationals tried to
intervene, they themselves were assaulted. Two Americans, an eighteen
year old woman and a twenty-three year old man were injured while the
settlers tried to prevent them videoing the attack.

Six of the seven settlers detained were released without
interrogation, charge or conditions. One other has been released on
condition that he not be in contact with Palestinians for a limited
period.

The passports of the internationals have been confiscated by the
police who are demanding they sign an agreement banning them from the
area for the next forty days. Currently the internationals are still
demanding that the police launch a genuine investigation. They will
most likely be held overnight and will be seen before a judge in the
morning.

This follows previous incidents this week where internationals wishing
to report an assault were refused access to the police station for two
days and the inquiry into animal poisoning by settlers from Ma'on in
the neighboring village of At-Tuwani was put in the hands of an
investigator, who himself was a settler from Ma'on.

2. Palestinians Continue to Stop the Wall!

Today in Deir Ballut, villagers spontaneously stopped bulldozers,
which were destroying their land for construction of the Wall built by
the Israeli government. Deir Ballut, a village of 4000 people in the
Salfit district, will lose 16,000 dunum of their land. A large
portion of their olive groves and agricultural land will be demolished
for the path of the Wall. This land provides an economic livelihood
for many villagers.

A second demonstration took place today in Saffa, West of Ramallah.
Israeli police arrested two Israeli activists who along with
international activists were supporting a village march to the
construction site of the wall. The march was well attended by the men
and women of Saffa who are protesting the loss of their land to the
construction of the Wall and a new illegal Israeli settlement.

Tomorrow, Deir Ballut will hold a demonstration and try to stop the
bulldozers again from constructing the Wall. Villagers will meet at
10am at the municipality building, pray and then march to the
construction site of the Wall.

In Bil'in tomorrow, villagers will gather at the mosque at 12pm and
march to the location where Israeli bulldozers are working on the
construction of the Wall.

[This update was originally circulated on the International Solidarity Movement's (ISM) mailing list]

Short description of suggested web site address below: International Solidarity Movement (ISM)

Suggested link: palsolidarity.org

Sujet:	UPDATE
Auteur-e:	simms
Date:	Sam, 2005-03-26 01:00

Out of the settler frying pan into the settlement police fire

Assaulted international activists released after 26 hour ordeal

Today at the Jerusalem court, Israeli Judge Dotan ordered the
release of International activists: Camyla (American), Ryan
(American), Robert (Swedish) and Casper (Danish). The judge refused
the polices demand to order the activists to stay away from the area
where they were assaulted.

Judge Dotan dismissed the polices argument that they did not want a
third party in the area since it was â200234tense after Israeli settlers
spread poison on Palestinian grazing land two days ago. She
explained that this was not a legal argument.

After their release, Camyla was taken by supporters directly to
receive medical treatment that she had been denied throughout her
arrest since the assault.

The four volunteers had been staying in Qawawis, a small community
of shepherds who mostly live in cave dwellings in the south Hebron
hills. For years Israeli settlers and military have been working to
force the Qawawis shepherds from their land. These attempts have
included demolishing caves and water wells, declaring the area a
closed military zone for months and arresting any Palestinians
caught inside it.

Recently the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the military must
allow the shepherds to live on their ancestral land. Following this
ruling Qawawis families are slowly returning to their homes. They
have requested that ISM provide an international presence in the
hope that this will serve as deterrent to the frequent settler
attacks.

Yesterday morning armed and masked settlers began chasing and
stoning Palestinian shepherds and their flocks. When the
internationals tried to intervene, they themselves were assaulted.

Israeli soldiers looked on as Ryan was grabbed by one of the
settlers. Camyla tried to put her body between Ryan and the
assaulting settler. He threw her to the ground, pinned her down and
punched her repeatedly in the neck, face and chest. Robert was
pushed and headbutted by another settler. The settlers attempted to
break the cameras of all four internationals.

During the attack Qawawis residents attempted to call the Israeli
police in the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arbaa, but twice, as soon
as they said Marhaba (hello in Arabic), the police hung up.

When the police did arrive two hours later the settlers claimed that
they had been attacked by the internationals. The military claimed
that the confrontation had occurred near the illegal outpost in an
area where Palestinians are forbidden to enter.

The activists had a videotape that showed the area where the assault
occurred to be different than what the soldiers claimed. The tape
shows the settlers stoning Palestinian shepherds and sheep and
assaulting the internationals.

When the internationals where taken to the police station to file
their complaints they declined to hand over the tape without
assurances that it would be returned to them. Camyla was told that
if she did not give the tape to the police they would perform a
cavity search on her. After being promised repeatedly that they
would receive a copy of the tape they provided it to the police. The
internationals have not yet received a copy.

To their surprise, after the police took statements from them and
one of the settlers, the police allowed the settler to leave but
demanded that the internationals sign a document stating that they
would not enter the area for forty days. They refused to sign and
spent the night in custody.

All their belongings were taken from them. While a prison guard was
searching Robert, he threatened to beat him or have him beaten and
told him that other people have died here. When Roberts belongings
were returned to him, one hundred Jordanian Dinars (approximately US
$170) were missing from his money. The police refused to return the
money despite his possession of a receipt from the police proving
that the money was missing.

Earlier this week internationals wishing to report an assault were
refused access to the Kiryat Arbaa police station for two days, and
the inquiry into poisoning of Palestinian grazing grounds of the
village of At-Tuwani by settlers from neighboring village of Maâon
was put in the hands of an investigator, who himself was a settler
from Maâon.

[palsolidarity] Fri, 25 Mar 2005 19:38:03 -0000

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