CPTnet
December 24, 2001
HEBRON UPDATE: December 3-9, 2001
Monday, December 3. No curfew.
18th day of Ramadan.
CPTers Anita Fast and Greg Rollins spent the previous night in
Beit Ummar with a family who is part of CPT’s Campaign for
Secure Dwellings (CSD). Returning to Hebron, they reported
that no cars with Palestinian (green) license plates were allowed
on Route 60, the main road to the village. Their taxi driver took
back roads through four surrounding villages before connecting
with the main road.
CPTers Claire Evans and Mary Lawrence broke the daily
Ramadan fast with a family in Hebron’s Old City. While
watching TV news reports, they learned that Israeli military had
attacked Arafat’s heliport in Gaza.
Tuesday, December 4. No curfew.
19th day of Ramadan.
Shortly after 7 p.m., Israeli soldiers closed the exits of the
market area in the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron’s Old
City (H2), leaving dozens of Palestinians stranded in the pouring
rain. The soldiers told CPTers that they were looking for a
Palestinian boy who had reportedly thrown a firecracker at the
Avraham Avinu settlement. After about twenty minutes, the
people were allowed to go to their homes.
Wednesday, December 5. No curfew.
20th day of Ramadan.
In response to the previous weekend’s suicide and car bombings
in Jerusalem and Haifa, and the Israeli military attacks against
Gaza and four West Bank cities, CPTers held a one-hour prayer
vigil on the street corner outside their apartment.
The CPTers sat on both sides of a barrier that divides the
Palestinian market from Shuhada Street (used mostly by settlers and
soldiers) under banners reading “Praying for the Peace of the
Cities.”
Fliers explaining the vigil in Arabic or English were handed to
Palestinians, soldiers and settlers who were passing by. Many
responded favorably. (See releases “Praying for the
Peace of the City,” and “Out of the Depths.” Photos available at
clubphoto.com, album: “01-12-05 Praying for Peace”; sign in as
guest: cptheb01@yahoo.com).
Thursday, December 6. No curfew.
21st day of Ramadan.
From noon to 1 p.m., CPTers again vigiled for the Peace of the
Cities on the corner by their apartment. Two young settler men,
who had been earlier escorted out of the market by Israeli
soldiers, approached CPTer Le Anne Clausen, expressing an
interest in the fliers she was handing out. When one of them ran
off with her bag of fliers, Israeli soldiers pursued
him.
The man then ripped up the fliers and scattered them on the
ground. The soldiers apologized to Clausen. CPTer Rick
Polhamus responded, “That’s ok. We know not all Israelis are like that.”
Campaign for Secure Dwellings partner Atta Jabber stopped by
the CPT office to call the police and notify the team
that settlers were stoning his father’s house in the Beqa’a
Valley. He did not request CPT presence at the house.
While escorting a foreign journalist on visits in the H2 area,
Rollins noticed an Israeli military bulldozer placing large
concrete blocks on the street near Beit Romano
settlement.
At 3:30 p.m., Evans and Fast accompanied a relative of a
Palestinian friend who had requested their help in retrieving his
luggage from a taxi that was prohibited from entering the city of
Hebron at the Beit Hanoun checkpoint, despite its Israeli
(yellow) license plates. The luggage had been lost in
transit as the Palestinian man flew home from a conference in
Washington, D.C. The CPTers crossed the checkpoint on foot
and successfully retrieved the suitcase.
CPTers Lawrence and JoAnne Lingle traveled to Beit Ummar to
break the daily Ramadan fast and spend the night with a
Palestinian family. The trip that would normally take about
fifteen minutes took one hour, because the taxi was forced to use
back roads. A visitor told the two about an agricultural
cooperative being organized in Beit Ummar.
Friday, December 7. No curfew.
22nd day of Ramadan.
The team vigiled again on the corner of Shuhada street and the
chicken market under the “Praying for the Peace of the Cities”
banners, which now proclaimed its message in Hebrew and
Arabic as well as English. Immediately after the vigil, soldiers
closed all entrances to the Old City, saying that a “suspect” had
been seen inside. The area was reopened in about 20 minutes.
When Lawrence went at 5:30 to retrieve the banners, the one
facing Shuhada Street was missing. While she was taking
down the other, young settler boys began throwing stones at her.
Saturday, December 8. No curfew.
23rd day of Ramadan.
Several members of the team went to Jerusalem, all meeting
various difficulties with travel. Polhamus reported that the taxi
he was in took one hour to find a way to the main road, Route
60, which normally takes about ten minutes.
Sunday, December 9. Curfew called at 3 p.m.
24th day of Ramadan.
After church services in Jerusalem, six CPTers and two friends
vigiled for an hour on a busy street corner between East and
West Jerusalem, displaying the “Praying for the Peace of the
Cities” banner. Many passers-by responded favorably,
including a Palestinian who said “You have changed my
mind about Americans; I didn’t know any Americans felt this
way.” Three Christians from Argentina joined the group in
prayer.
Curfew was called in H2 just before 3 p.m. CPTers patrolled the
market area while shopkeepers were closing up and the streets
were emptying. Soldiers had no clear explanation as to why
curfew had been called. The team learned later that an Israeli
settler was wounded by a bullet fired from the Palestinian
neighborhood of Hart iSheik at a Jewish funeral procession early
in the afternoon.
Beginning around 7 p.m., the streets of the Hebron’s Old City
were filled with settlers celebrating the start of Hanukkah.
