Description

HEBRON, March 18, 2012 (WAFA) – Five Israeli settlers from the illegal outpost of Havat Ma'on south of Hebron attacked on Saturday a Palestinian shepherd from At-Tuwani village, south of Yatta, while grazing on Meshaha Hill, Sunday said a press release by Operation Dove.

It said the group of settlers warned the shepherd not to come back to the land near the outpost anymore as all that land is “their property and of the whole Jewish people for thousands of years”.
The settlers, shouting and imposing themselves physically, pushed the shepherd away until the bottom of the hill, where one of them chased and threatened an International volunteer, who was accompanying the shepherd.

While escaping the volunteer dropped two mobile phones, which were immediately picked and smashed with a rock by the settler.

Two Israeli army jeeps, a DCO (District Coordination Office) car and a police car reached the place to hear the volunteer's and the settlers' testimonies an hour later.

This is the third attack perpetuated by the settlers in the last week in Meshaha, said Operation Dove, adding that it registered 25 acts of intimidation carried out by the settlers living in the illegal outpost of Havat Ma'on in the area around At-Tuwani since the beginning of 2012.

“The acts of violence are part of an ongoing strategy aimed to obtain exclusive access to the land and the resources in the South Hebron Hills,” said the press release.

“Both the hill and the valley Meshaha are Palestinian private property. Last December the inhabitants of At-Tuwani village cultivated these lands in presence of the Israeli Army who was there to garrison the area,” noted the press release.

R.Q./F.R.