Description

At-Tuwani, South Hebron Hills – In the early morning of October 26 Israeli soldiers in four jeeps entered the village of Jawwaya, raided one of the homes and took the eldest son.

According to statements from the Shwaheen family, at 4:30 AM, 15 soldiers burst into their tent and accused them of stealing sheep from the nearby Israeli settlement of Ma’on. The soldiers threw some of the family’s belongings outside the tent, then released their sheep from the pen and drove them away.

At 5:30 AM, the soldiers left the village, taking with them the eldest son. According to the family, the soldiers took the boy close to the settlement, and held him there for three and a half hours, releasing him at 9:00 AM.

After the soldiers left, the family found that 21 of their sheep were missing, four more had broken legs, one was blinded, and one was killed. Additionally, two sheep suffered aborted pregnancies the next day. The loss of the sheep represents several years worth of lost income to the Palestinian family.

Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.

For further information:

Operation Dove, 054 99 25 773



[Note: According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts, including Havat Ma'on (Hill 833), are considered illegal also under Israeli law.]