I Saw it in Palestine

Over The Last Year:

I'll admit it, I'm procrastinating. While I was looking on my computer for a file, I found a list that I created in late August, as I was nearing my one year anniversary of working in At-Tuwani. This is a list of some of the things that I've seen over this last year, both terrible and wondrous. It doesn't pretend to be comprehensive, not nearly, but it does give a snap shot of how I see life in the South Hebron Hills.

There are pictures and videos of many of these events. If any of you of especially like to see something, I can see what I can do to fulfil those requests.

Over the last year, I've seen:

- Over a hundred children and their parents march to Tuba along a road Palestinian haven’t been able to use for 11 years

- The paramilitary settler guard of Ma’on push a pregnant woman and steal her zatre

- Palestinians organize the 2007 olive harvest so cleverly there wasn’t a single settler attack

- Settlers shoot three sheep and miss their shepherd. The next day, shepherds grazed hundreds of sheep in the same spot, clear up to the boarder of the settlement

- Palestinian children chased, cursed, threaten and attacked by Israeli settlers more times than I can remember

- Palestinian villagers from Tuba and Magher Al Abeed run through the hills to avoid being beaten by settlers too many times

- One teammate beaten by settlers, another choked by an Israeli soldier, and another teammate arrested and faced with deportation

- Palestinians lock arms together and start walking forward to protect one from being arrested

- Settlers spray pepper spray into the eyes of a Palestinian and his elderly father. He was arrested. Ma’on’s paramilitary guard threatened to kill him, saying then “there will be no more problems.” When he was released from prison, he walk right up to and and then straight past the paramilitary guard, fearlessly.

- Five sheep ran over by a settler in a car

- A family in Susiya beaten by settlers

- Soldiers attack sheep and goats, kicking one in the teeth and another in the side, causing her to lactate blood

- Women remove a road block, opening the road to Yatta

- Three soldiers expose their butts to Palestinians, while the paramilitary settler “guard” of Ma’on stood next to them

- No settlers arrested for their crimes

- Illegal settlements expanding every day

- Palestinians, time and time again, walk straight up to settlers and soldiers and assert their rights