pipes in the village of El-Fas
On 16 June 2010, a Palestinian farmer witnessed two
settlers, believed to reside in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, walking through
his garden. Upon inspection, the
farmer realized that his crops, planted with the assistance of USAID, had been
destroyed and water pipes slashed.
According to the farmer, the damage to the crops totaled an estimated
10,000 NIS (about 2600 USD) The damaged crops are the primary food and economic
resource for the extended family of thirty adults and thirty children.
The Israeli Army and Israeli Police arrived a half-hour
after the farmer call them to take statements. The family filed an official complaint, but remain skeptical
about doing so because they have filed complaints in the past and have never
received justice.
The family lives between the settlement of Kiryat Arba and a
set of prefabricated housing containers, installed about five years ago, called
Havat Gal.
The father of one of the children in the family said that he
is often afraid to go to work because settlers in the area have threatened to
kidnap his children. On occasion,
he will stay home and miss a day of work for fear of something happening to his
family. He recalled an incident
involving the poisoning of his sheep, resulting in severe sickness of his
children after they drank the milk from the sheep. He showed CPTers official doctors’ notes confirming the
poisoning.
For video showing the destruction and proximity of the
farmer’s land to the settlements, click here
