November 11 – Bethlehem, Hebron, At-Tuwani

Today, we observed the impact of two different types of settlement on the lives of Palestinian citizens—one inside the Old City of Hebron and one close to the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills.

Typically, Jewish settlements have sprung up in proximity to Palestinian villages and towns. Hebron’s situation is unique in that five Jewish settlements are growing in the heart of its old city, linked by streets that Palestinian residents are not allowed to drive on (in some case, not even walk on). The settlements are spreading, impacting life all around them—settlers throwing stones, harassing women and children, cutting off entrances to the old city market, amking the daily life of the Palestinian residents a grind. Currently, there is only one entrance left through which Palestinians and internationals can access the Ibrahimi Mosque (the 4th holiest place in Islam and, as tradition has it, the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael; now divided into a Jewish and a Muslim section).

Our local contact in Hebron was the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC; www.hebronrc.org/), a non-profit organization that rebuilds abandoned, dilapidated homes and structures adhering to international standards of reconstruction. We saw “before and after” photos, watched maps documenting the expansion of the settlements, and learnt how the settlers impact life in Hebron’s Old City. Later, we took a walking tour through the old city, saw some of the rehabilitated structures (“marvelous”), watched with our own eyes the many closed-off streets and tunnels, store fronts welded shut by the Israeli authorities, and school children passing through the revolving security gate on their way back from school.

Our own attempt at passing through the checkpoint came to an abrupt end when Israeli soldiers stopped us and would not let us continue on, saying that the area of the Ibrahim mosque had just been declared a military zone which we foreigners could not enter. Even our pleas that we had come to visit a holy site and hoped to pray there (and that it did not matter to us whether we could go to the Jewish or Muslim side of the building) would not sway the soldiers’ mind. On our way back to the HRC building, we engaged in “shopping therapy.” I had visited Hebron some 23 earlier and remembered a bustling, crowded market place, with store owners selling leather goods, glass wares, clothing, spices, and many other things. Today, the streets of the Old City were nearly empty with idle store owners lingering in front of their stores, only to get up when we came, pleading that we help them survive and “please” buy their wares. Driving a hard bargain almost always was very easy to us. Carrying our new possessions away was a bitter-sweet experience: while supporting the local economy, we also benefitted from the dire economic conditions.

Before reaching At-Tuwani, we passed the Bedouin village of Um Al Kher. One of the homes had been demolished by the Israeli military just 2 weeks before. For more information, see the CPT website (www.cpt.org/cptnet/2008/10/30/tuwani-urgent-action-ask-israeli-authorities-why-israeli-military-demolished-homes). This was not the first home demolition. To view footage of an earlier demolition in February 2007, click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=md_CDzN7ZVA.

Our second settlement experience of the day was in the village of At-Tuwani. Small, remote, and poor, the village survives through the money that comes in from the men working and living part of the year in the near-by town of Yatta. The village has a population of 500-1,000. There is a school, a mosque (rebuilt after being demolished by the Israelis), a clinic building (open 1 day per week), a cistern (under demolishing orders). Towering over the village at some distance is the settlement of Karmel and Ma’on (built several decades ago, surrounded by a lush forest).

The At-Tuwani school is attended by children from others, even smaller villages as well. The shortest route they take walk to get to school leads through the forest, between Ma’on and a new illegal settler outpost. Regularly settlers scare the children, beat them up, or throw stones at them. To help the children, the villagers requested the presence of international accompaniment. This is how a group of five volunteers from Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) now lives at the village. Their ignition task has changed, though. It proved that their presence was an insufficient deterrent to settler violence. After international protests, Israeli military was brought in, and the children are now walked twice a day by Israeli soldiers. Often, the soldiers are late or don’t walk far enough, and the children are still attacked. The CPT volunteers are now charged with monitoring the work of the soldiers, instead. In addition, they accompany shepherds to assure their safety, as the settlers have been attacking shepherds, shooting at sheep, and poisoning their grazing land. The stated goal of the settlers is to rid the entire area south of Hebron of its native Palestinian inhabitants.

It is amazing to me that the villagers, living daily on such dire, violent conditions, would not resort to alcohol or drugs or move away to enjoy more safety and comfort.