CPTnet
May 20, 2004
CPTnet
May 20, 2004
HEBRON UPDATE: May 5-11, 2004
Wednesday May 5, 2004
No curfew
In the morning JoAnne Lingle encountered an Israeli army patrol setting up
a checkpoint on the main street running through the center of the Old City.
The Israeli soldiers were checking IDs and searching parcels. A soldier
ordered one man to face the wall of a nearby shop and raise his shirt so
that he could be searched more closely.
Also in the morning, Chris Brown, Cal Carpenter, and Maia Williams came
upon a Palestinian woman and several men that Israeli soldiers had detained
at the Beit Romano checkpoint. Bystanders told them that they had been held
there for over an hour. After another half hour, soldiers released the
detainees. In the afternoon Brown, again watched Israeli soldier checking
the IDs of women as well as men.
Thursday May 6, 2004
No curfew
In the morning CPTers discovered that the metal gate leading from the Old
City into the Ibrahimi Mosque special security zone was closed and locked.
They found out that earlier in the morning, Israeli soldiers had shot a
Palestinian man for allegedly trying to take a soldier's gun.
Lingle and Williams at 9:00 pm encountered three TIPH (Temporary
International Presence in Hebron) observers at the Beit Romano checkpoint
leading into the Old City, who were monitoring and photographing the
detention of five Palestinian boys. One of the TIPHers said that when she
started talking to a young detainee, a soldier pointed his gun at the boy
and seemed to be threatening him in Hebrew.
Then an Israeli soldier demanded to see the pictures the TIPH photographer
had taken. He refused. The soldier said that TIPH is not allowed to take
pictures. The TIPHer cited the articles from the international agreement
establishing TIPH, which specifically permits picture taking.
Israeli soldiers replaced the cement block guardhouse covered with
camouflage netting at the Beit Romano checkpoint with a seven-foot high
circular cement guard tower.
Brown, Jerry Levin, and Carpenter journeyed to the village of Kfar Ein,
halfway between Ramallah and Nablus, which was suffering from harassment by
Israeli soldiers. The CPTers learned that the previous night Israeli
soldiers had come into the village after midnight and set off sound
grenades. They threatened one family by saying that the soldiers would
return in forty-eight hours if the family didn't produce one of their
members for whom the army had been looking for some time. That night,
Israeli soldiers drove through the village but did not enter any homes or
make any threats.
Friday, May 7, 2004
No curfew
In the morning, Lingle, hearing a vehicle stopping in Shuhada Street close
to the CPT apartment, went downstairs to investigate. An Israeli policeman
talked to her through the fence closing off the chicken market street from
Shuhada Street. He told her that a Palestinian shop had been broken into
during the night, presumably by Israeli settlers, since Palestinians may
not travel on Shuhada Street. Lingle noted that since Palestinians are not
allowed access to the street, the Palestinian owner would not be able to
assess the damage to his shop or goods.
Lingle and Williams visited a new, free medical clinic in the Baqa'a Valley
called "The Light." A UN doctor examined over one hundred patients.
Later the CPTers visited a CSD (Campaign For Secure Dwellings) family in
the Baqa'a Valley. Family members pointed to an Israeli army tent that had
recently been pitched just behind their home on top of the huge, stone
Harsina settlement retaining wall. They complained that lately the soldiers
manning the tent-outpost have often prohibited them from leaving their
house after 5:00 pm.
Maia Williams and Kathie Uhler and a translator made a CSD visit to a
family living in Jabal Johar just below Kiryat Arba. The grandfather
complained of constant harassment by Israeli soldiers. One recent incident
in particular had been extremely upsetting: one of his young grandchildren
had been helping clear stones from the small portion of land left to the
family after Kiryat Arba confiscated the rest last year. Soldiers accused
the boy of throwing stones at the settlement in order to "destroy it."
Saturday, May 8, 2004
No curfew.
Kristin Anderson and Diane Janzen, on school patrol, encountered six
Avraham Avinu settler boys throwing rocks at Palestinian schoolchildren.
When one of the boys saw the CPTers, he started throwing stones at them
too. A soldier yelling in Hebrew got them to stop and chased the boy into
the settlement. Then the soldier apologized to the CPTers.
Sunday, May 9, 2004
No curfew
At Beit Romano checkpoint Brown observed Israeli soldiers detaining and
checking the IDS of two women and four men.
Monday, May 10, 2004
No curfew
Anderson and Janzen joined members of The Center for Agricultural Services
and members of the International Palestinian Youth League in a seedling
planting action on agricultural land south of Harsina. Farmers spoke of
year-round Israeli army and settler harassment. Their fields and orchards
are under imminent threat of confiscation by settlements.
Later Anderson and Janzen observed Israeli soldiers at the Beit Romano
checkpoint detaining several men and women. The soldiers forced the men to
lift their shirts and sit on the ground and also searched the women's
purses. One woman was ordered to go inside the newly erected circular
cement guard tower and submit to a body search. She refused and instead
walked over to where the men were sitting. A female soldier then frisked
her with a metal detector wand. Twenty minutes later the soldiers returned
the IDs and released the group.
Monday, May 11, 2004
No curfew
At different times during the day, Brown, Williams, Lingle, Anderson,
Janzen, and Levin observed soldiers detaining men and women at the Beit
Romano checkpoint. Two women complained to Anderson and Janzen that the
detention made them late for an exam at Hebron University.
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Wednesday May 5, 2004
No curfew
In the morning JoAnne Lingle encountered an Israeli army patrol setting up
a checkpoint on the main street running through the center of the Old City.
The Israeli soldiers were checking IDs and searching parcels. A soldier
ordered one man to face the wall of a nearby shop and raise his shirt so
that he could be searched more closely.
Also in the morning, Chris Brown, Cal Carpenter, and Maia Williams came
upon a Palestinian woman and several men that Israeli soldiers had detained
at the Beit Romano checkpoint. Bystanders told them that they had been held
there for over an hour. After another half hour, soldiers released the
detainees. In the afternoon Brown, again watched Israeli soldier checking
the IDs of women as well as men.
Thursday May 6, 2004
No curfew
In the morning CPTers discovered that the metal gate leading from the Old
City into the Ibrahimi Mosque special security zone was closed and locked.
They found out that earlier in the morning, Israeli soldiers had shot a
Palestinian man for allegedly trying to take a soldier's gun.
Lingle and Williams at 9:00 pm encountered three TIPH (Temporary
International Presence in Hebron) observers at the Beit Romano checkpoint
leading into the Old City, who were monitoring and photographing the
detention of five Palestinian boys. One of the TIPHers said that when she
started talking to a young detainee, a soldier pointed his gun at the boy
and seemed to be threatening him in Hebrew.
Then an Israeli soldier demanded to see the pictures the TIPH photographer
had taken. He refused. The soldier said that TIPH is not allowed to take
pictures. The TIPHer cited the articles from the international agreement
establishing TIPH, which specifically permits picture taking.
Israeli soldiers replaced the cement block guardhouse covered with
camouflage netting at the Beit Romano checkpoint with a seven-foot high
circular cement guard tower.
Brown, Jerry Levin, and Carpenter journeyed to the village of Kfar Ein,
halfway between Ramallah and Nablus, which was suffering from harassment by
Israeli soldiers. The CPTers learned that the previous night Israeli
soldiers had come into the village after midnight and set off sound
grenades. They threatened one family by saying that the soldiers would
return in forty-eight hours if the family didn't produce one of their
members for whom the army had been looking for some time. That night,
Israeli soldiers drove through the village but did not enter any homes or
make any threats.
Friday, May 7, 2004
No curfew
In the morning, Lingle, hearing a vehicle stopping in Shuhada Street close
to the CPT apartment, went downstairs to investigate. An Israeli policeman
talked to her through the fence closing off the chicken market street from
Shuhada Street. He told her that a Palestinian shop had been broken into
during the night, presumably by Israeli settlers, since Palestinians may
not travel on Shuhada Street. Lingle noted that since Palestinians are not
allowed access to the street, the Palestinian owner would not be able to
assess the damage to his shop or goods.
Lingle and Williams visited a new, free medical clinic in the Baqa'a Valley
called "The Light." A UN doctor examined over one hundred patients.
Later the CPTers visited a CSD (Campaign For Secure Dwellings) family in
the Baqa'a Valley. Family members pointed to an Israeli army tent that had
recently been pitched just behind their home on top of the huge, stone
Harsina settlement retaining wall. They complained that lately the soldiers
manning the tent-outpost have often prohibited them from leaving their
house after 5:00 pm.
Maia Williams and Kathie Uhler and a translator made a CSD visit to a
family living in Jabal Johar just below Kiryat Arba. The grandfather
complained of constant harassment by Israeli soldiers. One recent incident
in particular had been extremely upsetting: one of his young grandchildren
had been helping clear stones from the small portion of land left to the
family after Kiryat Arba confiscated the rest last year. Soldiers accused
the boy of throwing stones at the settlement in order to "destroy it."
Saturday, May 8, 2004
No curfew.
Kristin Anderson and Diane Janzen, on school patrol, encountered six
Avraham Avinu settler boys throwing rocks at Palestinian schoolchildren.
When one of the boys saw the CPTers, he started throwing stones at them
too. A soldier yelling in Hebrew got them to stop and chased the boy into
the settlement. Then the soldier apologized to the CPTers.
Sunday, May 9, 2004
No curfew
At Beit Romano checkpoint Brown observed Israeli soldiers detaining and
checking the IDS of two women and four men.
Monday, May 10, 2004
No curfew
Anderson and Janzen joined members of The Center for Agricultural Services
and members of the International Palestinian Youth League in a seedling
planting action on agricultural land south of Harsina. Farmers spoke of
year-round Israeli army and settler harassment. Their fields and orchards
are under imminent threat of confiscation by settlements.
Later Anderson and Janzen observed Israeli soldiers at the Beit Romano
checkpoint detaining several men and women. The soldiers forced the men to
lift their shirts and sit on the ground and also searched the women's
purses. One woman was ordered to go inside the newly erected circular
cement guard tower and submit to a body search. She refused and instead
walked over to where the men were sitting. A female soldier then frisked
her with a metal detector wand. Twenty minutes later the soldiers returned
the IDs and released the group.
Monday, May 11, 2004
No curfew
At different times during the day, Brown, Williams, Lingle, Anderson,
Janzen, and Levin observed soldiers detaining men and women at the Beit
Romano checkpoint. Two women complained to Anderson and Janzen that the
detention made them late for an exam at Hebron University.
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