Deacon Dave is a Christian Muslim peacemaker, married to a Palestinian and living most of the time in Hebron, Palestine.
Two Men Beaten and Arrested in Tel Rumeida
Two men were detained by soldiers at the crossing in Tel Rumeida at around 6.15. they were Marwan Jamjun and Imad Jamjun, brothers visiting relatives in Tel Rumeida. One had
recently had surgery and they were in a hurry. They argued with the soldiers
who tried to detain them. For this reason they were both blindfolded and
handcuffed and had their heads beaten against the wall of an appartment
building. They were held for an hour until I arrived and
called the police, who arrived and took them both away.
Two other men were taken away by soldiers in the direction of the army camp in
Petition for Security in the Old City
I have been busy the last couple of weeks organising a petition with a group of residents and traders from the Old City
170 residents, traders and visitors have so far signed the petition asking the Palestinian authorities to improve security in the Old City of Hebron. On Tuesday, 19th August a group of residents and traders went to meet Dr Khaled Qawasmi at the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee. He welcomed the petition and promised to help as much as possible. He suggested setting up $ area meetings within the Old City for residents and traders to meet with police and discuss how to co-operate to prevent crime.
Arwa's Visa Approved
11 Aug 08
Wonderful news !! Arwa’s visa appeal was approved. We don’t have to pay another £515 to apply again. I need to take her passport to Jerusalem and hopefully they will give her the visa soon. God willing we can come to England around 10th Oct.
More good news !! Fatima and Mohammad who were evicted from their home in the Old City have had a baby boy who looks very fit and healthy. Fatima had an awful time of it. She also had a gall stone that needed to be removed but they had to wait until the baby had been born. Then they were asking her to wait until November unless she had the money to get the operation done privately. Arwa managed to pull some strings with the officials and she has had the operation already and not had to pay. She has been in terrible pain but she seemed fine when we saw her last night. Very happy and proud !
Broken Stairs
Date: 28 / 07 / 2008 Time: 21:50
Hebron – Ma'an News
Local sources in Hebron reported on Monday evening that the head of assassinated Al-Qassam brigades leader Shihab Ad-Dein An-Natshah was discovered after two days of searching through the rubble of a building demolished by Israeli forces early on Sunday morning. The Al-Qassam brigades are the military wing of the Hamas movement.
The sources added that An-Natshah's head was given to his family for burial.
After refusing to surrender and holding off Israeli forces for about 12 hours, An-Natshah was killed at about 5am on Sunday when Israeli military bulldozers demolished the building where he was hiding on top of him. The building was located in the Shi'b Al-Milh area between Hebron and the nearby town of Taffuh.
House Demolished to Kill Hamas Fighter
Date: 27 / 07 / 2008 Time: 09:12
Hebron – Ma'an News
Twenty-five-year-old Shihab Ad-Dein Natshah was killed by Israeli forces near Hebron.
Natshah was a Palestinian activist affiliated with the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. He was killed by Israeli forces after they demolished a house were he was hiding in the Shi'b Al-Milh region between the southern West Bank city of Hebron and the nearby town of Taffuh, eyewitnesses say.
The witnesses added that Israeli forces besieged the home on Saturday at seven in the evening. Palestinian medics reported seeing fire erupt from the besieged home, and other witnesses said heavy gunfire was heard in the area and at least 15 Israeli military vehicles were present. The military operation went through the night, with palpable tension in the area. Israeli forces summoned back-up forces accompanied by a military bulldozer to the area.
Hamas Fighter Killed
Tracks from 3 Israeli Army Tanks
Arrived Safe in Hebron
Greetings from Hebron !
I arrived safely into Tel Aviv on Tuesday night. I was anxious about Israeli immigration because I had heard that all internationals were getting short visas; only as long as they said they were staying. They used to give a 3 month visa to everyone whatever you told them so I normally tell them I am staying in Jerusalem for 2 weeks to visit the holy sites and pray. If I tell them I am staying more than 2 weeks and that I don’t have a return ticket then I would get pulled aside for the more intensive questioning. In the event she took one look at my suit and collar, asked me what I was doing and didn’t ask how long I plan to stay. She gave me a moments panic when she asked me my father’s name and then told me to wait while she went off. I thought she had gone to get her supervisor but she came back with a pile of cards, stamped 3 months in my passport and gave it back with a card. As I hurried away I looked at the card to find that the Ministry of Tourism are assuring me that “Israel Loves Me” in a nice heart design. I’ll have to show it to the soldiers as they sometimes forget !
RAIDED - Hebron Girls Orphanage Sewing Workshop
Wednesday 30, April, 2008 3:30
HEBRON: At 1:00 am this morning, April 30th, the Israeli Military
raided the Hebron Girls' Orphanage near the intersection of Salaam and
Al Adel (Peace and Justice) Streets. Acting on orders issued by Major
General Shemni, soldiers looted the workshop of all its sewing and
processing machines, office equipment, rolls of cloth, finished
clothing and supplies. CPT members documented, with still photos and
video, approximately 40 Israeli soldiers emptying the workshop
contents into 2 - 40ft. trucks. The estimated value of the physical
material taken is $45,000 US. The cost in terms of the fear and
