Deacon Dave in Hebron, Palestine

The news from Jerusalem is that there are talks happening to propose removing all the settlers from inside Hebron. Apparently talks are happening with US officials and it is proposed to make an announcement to remove all the illegal outposts and many of the small settlements. In exchange Israel wopuld formally anex the large settlements around Jerusalem and the Jordan valley. This would break Palestine into 3 unconnected parts with no access to the international border with Jordan. Apparently they hope that Mahmoud Abbas will agree to this.

Settlers in Hebron have responded by bringing in reinforcements and extra weapons.

Friday 24th No 06
Shabbat Trespass on Abu Haikal Land

The Abu Haikals had heard that the settlers were planning to trespass on their land again for a Shabbat celebration. A Human Rights Worker visiting in the Abu Haikal house called the DCO ( District Co-ordinating Office) to ask what the plans were for this, since last weeks trespass had clearly been co-ordinated with police and soldiers and presumably the DCO. The DCO hung up several times and refused to answer questions. Eventually they said that they knew nothing about this.

Later at the house I noticed 2 soldiers on the garden path behind the house at 4.40pm. Looking closer I realized that there were also 4 adult settlers and a child standing at the top of the stairs next to the military post on Abu Haikal land. Another HRW began filming from below and pointed out that there were more settlers coming up the stairs from Tel Rumeida settlement. Soldiers made no attempt to stop them.

Thurs 23 Nov 06
Settlers Prepare for Trespass

At 2pm Abu Haikal family members heard machine noises on their land. They went to look and discovered a male settler clearing weeds with a weed-eater (strimmer) on the land behind the military post and olive tree, at the bottom of the garden wall. They called the police and after 15 minutes one of the daughters went to talk with the man and ask him to leave their land. Her aunt joined her. He ignored the request and attacked her with the weed-eater, hitting her on the ankle. He then phoned for help and five settler women came up the stairs including the crazy woman from Gaza. Two soldiers removed the Palestinians from their own land. They were then joined by 4 more soldiers.

Young settler women entering Abu Haikal property.

17 Nov 06 – Shabbat Eve Mass Trespass in Abu Haikal Orchard

Human Rights Workers noticed that there were settlers in the Abu Haikal orchard next to their house. Two HRWs went to the house to talk to the family and began to film. Two others began to film from our apartment. As another HRW approached the land he noticed that two police officers had already stationed themselves on the Palestinian land and were quietly observing. Then he saw several young settler women approaching from the olive groves. He photographed and filmed them as they entered the Abu Haikal property through a gap in the fence. He called over to the police officers to ask them why they were allowing settlers to trespass on Palestinian land but they refused to answer. He moved next to the house where he could film the whole gathering. Most settlers were arriving up the military stairs and past the military observation post through a gap in the fence at that end of the orchard. It now became clear why settlers had been running electric cables up to the observation post two days earlier “with all the correct permits”. They had been fixing up a powerful light so that the settlers could see the path through the fence.

Every day in Tel Rumeida is crazy. Palestinians experience constant harassment
from soldiers, police and settlers. Saturday was Hebron Day for the Israelis.
12,000 came to visit the settlements. It was a REALLY crazy day. A Swedish
woman is in hospital with a broken cheekbone. She was hit by a settler with a
bottle in the face. A Palestinian child of 3 years was bleeding heavily from a
stone in the head by a settler woman. I filmed a settler who was trespassing on
Palestinian land and trying to climb a wall into a Palestinian family house. He
attacked me and pushed me over a wall. I have 2 stitches in my head, a cut on

I had a bit of a scare from an aggressive settler last night coming home. I had gone for dinner at my friend Dr.Walid’s house. Afterwards we went to the mosque for prayers and then on to the home of an English Christian who moved to Palestine and converted to Islam. It was an interesting but rather heavy theological discussion and my friends dropped me off at the checkpoint just after 10pm. As I came through I noticed a settler talking to the soldier on the other side. The soldier pointed me out to the settler and shone his torch on me as I went up the hill. I could hear the settler walking behind me so I walked as fast as I could.

Today (Sunday) is the end of Sukkot and a couple of settler teenagers went around and removed all the large banners which have been up outside Palestinian homes for the festival. They left up on the lamp posts the Israeli flags and orange "support for settlements" ribbons which are also very provocative.

Palestinians here are very restrained in the face of constant provocations. No one tried to remove any of the banners or flags.

These banners were on our corner across from the flat. A friendly soldier told me that the first one says "Hebron; ours and our ancestors" The second apparently says "Hebron for ever".

Things were very tense today. The quiet times were too good to last. Sukkot ends tomorrow. Today was the sabbath and a day to celebrate God's giving the Torah to Moses. We had 6 people on the streets and 2 in the olive groves watching out for trouble.

The team in the olive grove spoke to a Palestinian man who has a house there. Yesterday our team got photos of settlers stealing olives from his trees. Today he reports they have broken a branch off one of his trees and put up a new barbed wire barrier to block his path. Another Palestinian reports that he still has no permission from the army to pick his own olives. We have offered to help him pick them and have contacted Rabbis for Human Rights who will help too. He will not pick without permission as the trees are very close to the army base.