OccupationalHazard.org 09.13.02

The Occupation - 09/13/02

South Hebron Hills Diary

Arik Asherman - Rabbis For Human Rights

Wednesday 28.8.02
I traveled with a diplomat to the cave village of Jinbah in the South Hebron Hills. We met there with Haj Issa Jabarin, All Jinbah residents are in danger of being expelled. During "Defensive Shield" the Civil Administration took photographs of homes belonging to the extended families of the cave dwellers in order to claim that they have homes. They didn't bother to explain how they would cram the extended family into these houses. However, Haj Issa doesn't have to worry. A tank shell hit his mother's house and burned it out - for no clear reason. All Haj Issa needs to do now is find money for the repairs. He has been asking us to try and help.
We returned via the cave dwellings in the Susya area. Every time we go by we see that the settlers have set more electricity poles, build more homes and roads, etc. This time we saw that settlers had planted the exact area that we had dealt with in 1996-7 when we went up to the Defense Minister to obtain a ruling that this was private Palestinian land.
On the way we also passed the little village where a month ago a boy was killed in a hit and run accident in the midst of a wedding. Apparently the driver was a settler.
Tuesday, September 10th, 2002
The scheduled court discussion on the fate of the cave dwellers was postponed, but Jeff Halper and I traveled to the area in any case.
We first stopped to pay a visit to our friends the Jabar family, after the father , Abu- Jawad was attacked by settlers. Do you remember Ata Jabar? He was the one whose house was demolished twice in the space of two weeks a few years ago. He tried to hand his baby to the soldiers and said, "Take him - I can't take care of him any more." He was beaten so badly that he couldn't stand straight for a year. The original charge sheet read, "Attack by means of baby."
Ata is better now and even has a house. - although all the land around it is Being expropriated. However, the family is taking it on the chin during this intifada. - Ata's cousin Mansur was shot and seriously injured by settlers. Another child was seriously hurt on 6.12.01 in a hit and run. As the family tells it, the car crossed lanes to hit him and a number of sheep, then backtracked to run over him again. The family provided a description of the car, and the police had some fragments from the car that were left a the scene. However, nothing has happened. In another case on 27.2.01 members of CPT took pictures clearly identifying settlers in the process of destroying windows, irrigation pipes,threatening the family,etc. That one is still "in process."
So, what happened to Abu-Jawad? His house is now in the shadow of a retaining wall build to allow the expansion of the Harsina settlement on top of them - on land expropriated from the family. Even one of the top Civil Administration officials told us a year ago that he had warned that the retaining wall was a bad idea. We went up on the roof and saw that it was scattered with rocks which settlers rain down on the house every so often. On the first of August Abu-Jawad and his granddaughter were sitting on their porch when they were hit by a barrage. Abu-Jawad was hit by two rocks and then fell and suffered multiple fractures when he tried to help his granddaughter. He has been in bed now for 45 days and has another 45 days to go. Ata submitted a complaint, but the police said that they wouldn't do anything until Abu-Jawad appears in person.
We continued on our way to Ziv, where the CA demolished five homes and a Structure housing sheep last week. Their are about 1,500 residents in this village adjacent to Yatta. Route 60 cuts through the village. The road exists from Turkish times, but it has spelled trouble since it has been considered a "Bypass Road." However, Ziv's troubles began before that. Since 1981 23 homes have been demolished in the village - a huge number for a village of some 100 houses.
Other homes stood between each of the demolished homes and the road. Their Have been security incidents in the area, but nobody has claimed that the owners of these homes were in any way involved. Apparently this is the way the new head of the Civil Administration wants to assert himself. We have returned to the "Good Old Days" of demolishing homes because of a government policy not to grant building permits to Palestinians. The result is 48 men, women and mostly children now have no roof over their heads. We met with the families and saw the all too familiar sights of children in tents, etc. The families were hopeful that Israelis would come and show their solidarity, but also intend to raise money among themselves to begin rebuilding. They want to do something before the rains come. We heard about the financial difficulties and the night time patrols through the village. A videographer caught the entire demolition on film. Just after we arrived, our presence brought soldiers out of the half track guarding the entrance to Yatta to patrol up and down the road. Later, after we were further away, the soldiers stood up everybody at the store where we left our vehicle, searched the store, etc.
On the way back our Palestinian driver told us how there is almost no work. Not only are there no tourists, but he can't drive Palestinian children to school because of the roadblocks and in Jerusalem Jewish parents don't want Arab drivers. He also related to that after one of the terror attacks he and his children were caught outside of Jerusalem when orders were given not to allow Arabs into Jerusalem, even with Jerusalem ID's. As if this wasn't bad enough, soldiers cursed and officers cursed him with curses such as "Get out of here, you dirty Arab" as he tried roadblock after roadblock. A Jewish owner of the firm he works for came to a roadblock and left after receiving a promise that he would be allowed in in 1/2 hour. One half hour the driver came back to the soldiers and was greeted with, "Get out of here, you dirty Arab."
The common denominator between all of these incidents is that the victims were all innocent civilians. In most of the cases, one can not even give the argument we hear so often, "We're sorry, but it's war." It's just occupation.

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South Hebron Hills Diary
Arik Asherman - Rabbis For Human Rights





Wednesday 28.8.02 I traveled with a diplomat to the cave village of Jinbah in the South Hebron Hills. We met there with Haj Issa Jabarin, All Jinbah residents are in danger of being expelled. During "Defensive Shield" the Civil Administration took photographs of homes belonging to the extended families of the cave dwellers in order to claim that they have homes. They didn't bother to explain how they would cram the extended family into these houses. However, Haj Issa doesn't have to worry. A tank shell hit his mother's house and burned it out - for no clear reason. All Haj Issa needs to do now is find money for the repairs. He has been asking us to try and help. We returned via the cave dwellings in the Susya area. Every time we go by we see that the settlers have set more electricity poles, build more homes and roads, etc. This time we saw that settlers had planted the exact area that we had dealt with in 1996-7 when we went up to the Defense Minister to obtain a ruling that this was private Palestinian land. On the way we also passed the little village where a month ago a boy was killed in a hit and run accident in the midst of a wedding. Apparently the driver was a settler. Tuesday, September 10th, 2002 The scheduled court discussion on the fate of the cave dwellers was postponed, but Jeff Halper and I traveled to the area in any case. We first stopped to pay a visit to our friends the Jabar family, after the father , Abu- Jawad was attacked by settlers. Do you remember Ata Jabar? He was the one whose house was demolished twice in the space of two weeks a few years ago. He tried to hand his baby to the soldiers and said, "Take him - I can't take care of him any more." He was beaten so badly that he couldn't stand straight for a year. The original charge sheet read, "Attack by means of baby." Ata is better now and even has a house. - although all the land around it is Being expropriated. However, the family is taking it on the chin during this intifada. - Ata's cousin Mansur was shot and seriously injured by settlers. Another child was seriously hurt on 6.12.01 in a hit and run. As the family tells it, the car crossed lanes to hit him and a number of sheep, then backtracked to run over him again. The family provided a description of the car, and the police had some fragments from the car that were left a the scene. However, nothing has happened. In another case on 27.2.01 members of CPT took pictures clearly identifying settlers in the process of destroying windows, irrigation pipes,threatening the family,etc. That one is still "in process." So, what happened to Abu-Jawad? His house is now in the shadow of a retaining wall build to allow the expansion of the Harsina settlement on top of them - on land expropriated from the family. Even one of the top Civil Administration officials told us a year ago that he had warned that the retaining wall was a bad idea. We went up on the roof and saw that it was scattered with rocks which settlers rain down on the house every so often. On the first of August Abu-Jawad and his granddaughter were sitting on their porch when they were hit by a barrage. Abu-Jawad was hit by two rocks and then fell and suffered multiple fractures when he tried to help his granddaughter. He has been in bed now for 45 days and has another 45 days to go. Ata submitted a complaint, but the police said that they wouldn't do anything until Abu-Jawad appears in person. We continued on our way to Ziv, where the CA demolished five homes and a Structure housing sheep last week. Their are about 1,500 residents in this village adjacent to Yatta. Route 60 cuts through the village. The road exists from Turkish times, but it has spelled trouble since it has been considered a "Bypass Road." However, Ziv's troubles began before that. Since 1981 23 homes have been demolished in the village - a huge number for a village of some 100 houses. Other homes stood between each of the demolished homes and the road. Their Have been security incidents in the area, but nobody has claimed that the owners of these homes were in any way involved. Apparently this is the way the new head of the Civil Administration wants to assert himself. We have returned to the "Good Old Days" of demolishing homes because of a government policy not to grant building permits to Palestinians. The result is 48 men, women and mostly children now have no roof over their heads. We met with the families and saw the all too familiar sights of children in tents, etc. The families were hopeful that Israelis would come and show their solidarity, but also intend to raise money among themselves to begin rebuilding. They want to do something before the rains come. We heard about the financial difficulties and the night time patrols through the village. A videographer caught the entire demolition on film. Just after we arrived, our presence brought soldiers out of the half track guarding the entrance to Yatta to patrol up and down the road. Later, after we were further away, the soldiers stood up everybody at the store where we left our vehicle, searched the store, etc. On the way back our Palestinian driver told us how there is almost no work. Not only are there no tourists, but he can't drive Palestinian children to school because of the roadblocks and in Jerusalem Jewish parents don't want Arab drivers. He also related to that after one of the terror attacks he and his children were caught outside of Jerusalem when orders were given not to allow Arabs into Jerusalem, even with Jerusalem ID's. As if this wasn't bad enough, soldiers cursed and officers cursed him with curses such as "Get out of here, you dirty Arab" as he tried roadblock after roadblock. A Jewish owner of the firm he works for came to a roadblock and left after receiving a promise that he would be allowed in in 1/2 hour. One half hour the driver came back to the soldiers and was greeted with, "Get out of here, you dirty Arab." The common denominator between all of these incidents is that the victims were all innocent civilians. In most of the cases, one can not even give the argument we hear so often, "We're sorry, but it's war." It's just occupation.
Back to front