I Saw it in Palestine

An update on At-Tuwani

Life here in At-Tuwani continues. It's hot enough that I can't help but eagerly await Ramadan's start when things will slow down again.

But despite the heat, At-Tuwani's nonviolent resistance carries on. Over the last month, shepherds have been grazing under ever increasing pressure from the Israeli army. For the first time since I began working in this area, it's become common for shepherds to be arrested for nothing more than grazing their sheep close to the settlement. I watch young shepherds, some still teenagers, weighing their need to find feed for their sheep and their desire to assert their claim to their land against the statements of Israeli police officers who threaten them with three months in jail. Meanwhile, we are still awaiting the release of our dear friend who was arrested for protesting Israel's unjust restrictions on Palestinian building.

Life under this Israeli government is harder for Palestinians than before, but the village of At-Tuwani isn't going any where.