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Photo: Settler attack (image by Ta'ayush)
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By Mairav Zonszein fro 972Mag

On Saturday morning, Israeli Ta’ayush activists accompanied Palestinian residents of the village of Shweika in the South Hebron Hills to their grazing and farm lands in a valley near the illegal Eshtamoa outpost. According to Guy, a veteran activist and documenter, settlers and Israeli soldiers have been obstructing or preventing access to the land in recent weeks, despite the fact that Israeli authorities recognize the valley as private Palestinian land and have restricted any Israelis from entering it.

Just before 11 a.m., 10-15 settlers came down from the outpost into the valley – most of them with their faces covered to avoid identification – and began throwing stones, some of them using slingshots. As can be seen in several videos below, three of the settlers violently assaulted one activist, with one of the settlers using a club. Watch the second video to the very end: You can see a soldier slowly making his way up to the settlers who run off after the attack. He did not try and stop them, does not run after them, and in fact pats one on the shoulder in a friendly, not disciplinary manner. This kind of dynamic not only makes the double standard in treatment of Palestinians clear, but shows that it is in fact the settlers who run the show in these parts.

The activist was badly bruised on his arms, legs and back. According to Guy, soldiers in the area looked on and did nothing to prevent it, nor did they detain the settlers or demand to see their faces and identify them. Guy, along with the victim and another activist, went to the Kiryat Arba police station to file a complaint. The police said the incident will be investigated.

Two of the soldiers who were in the valley at the time of the incident also happened to be at the police station. They told Guy that an armed settler screamed at them to shoot at the Israeli Ta’ayush activists, threatening to do so himself if they refused his order. Unfortunately, based on over a decade of Ta’ayush experience with similar incidents, the chances that these settlers will be brought to justice is next to nil, despite clear evidence.

Several Israeli news sites reported on the incident in Hebrew. According to Haaretz’s report, the IDF Spokesperson responded by stating that the video was “tendentiously edited” and that the soldiers on the scene responded as per protocol: they “distanced the residents” [presumably they mean settlers] and called the police to investigate the suspects.

As far as Guy knows, no suspects were taken into custody – certainly not at the time of the incident, when it was most crucial.
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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

A number of right-wing Israeli settlers were caught on tape, Saturday, attacking an Israeli peace activist accompanying Palestinian shepherds and farmers through Palestinian lands at Shweika village, south of the Hebron Mountains area, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

The attack took place on Saturday morning [February 8, 2014], when Israeli peace activists of the Ta’ayush peace group were accompanying Palestinian shepherds from Shweika village, in the Southern Hebron Hills.

The Israeli web-based independent magazine ‘+972’ stated that the attack took place near the Eshtamoa illegal settlement outpost.

The report also stated that a veteran Israeli activist and documentarian, identified as Guy, said that Israeli settlers and soldiers have been preventing the Palestinians access to the grazing land for several weeks, despite the fact that the government of Israel has recognized the valley as private Palestinian land.

“Just before 11 in the morning, around 10 – 15 settlers came from the outpost to the valley. Most of them covered their faces, to avoid identification, and started throwing stones at the Palestinians; some settlers used slingshots,” the +972 Magazine report said.

“Three of the settlers then assaulted an activist, one of them using a club. A soldier then slowly approached the scene and the settlers escaped.”

It further reported that the soldiers did not try to stop the settlers, and did not run after them, and that one of the soldiers is documented in the video, later on, patting a settler on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

“This kind of dynamic not only makes the double standard in treatment of Palestinians clear, but shows that it is, in fact, the settlers who run the show in these parts”, the +972 report said.

The Israeli activist suffered bruises and cuts in his legs, arms and back, while the soldiers did not even try to unmask the settlers to identify them. After the settlers left the scene, the activist went to file a complaint with the police station at Keryat Arba’ Israeli settlement, in Hebron.

The +972 report said that two of the soldiers who witnessed the attack happened to be at the police station, and told Guy that an armed settler yelled at them, telling them to shoot the Ta’ayush peace activist, and threatened to shoot the activist themselves if the soldiers did not do so.

“Unfortunately, based on over a decade of Ta’ayush experience with similar incidents, the chances that these settlers will be brought to justice is next to nil, despite clear evidence”, the report added.

The +972 report also said that several online Israeli news agencies reported on the incident, and that a report by Haaretz quoted an Israeli military spokesperson claiming that the video was “tendentiously edited”.

The army spokesperson also claimed that the soldiers acted as per protocol, distanced the persons involved, and called the police.

The Israeli peace activist, Guy, said that, as far as he knows, the army did not apprehend any suspects, although they had occasion to do so at the time of the attack.