American peace activist Joel Gulledge attacked by illegal Israeli settler children near Hebron

Date: 27 / 07 / 2008 Time: 16:53
Bethlehem – Ma'an –

An American peace activist with the Christian Peacemaker Teams was attacked today by illegal Israeli settlers near Hebron.

A team of foreign activists was escorting a group of Palestinian children from Tuba and Maghaer Al-Abeed home from their summer camp in the nearby town of Al-Tuwani. The most direct road from the villages to Al-Tuwani is through the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma'on south of Hebron.

As the group passed through the settlement some of the settler children began throwing stones at Palestinian children. One activist ran ahead to usher the kids to safety, and another, Joel Gulledge, followed behind the group and filmed the attack.

Gulledge was swarmed by the illegal Israeli settler children, who hit him with stones, took his camera and beat him with it. He sustained moderate head injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

The group of activists has been escorting the children after Israeli occupation soldiers stopped showing up in the mornings to take the kids to their summer camp. According to a CPT press release, the mayor of At Tuwani had spoken with Israeli occupation military officials to coordinate the escort for the children. However, several military spokespersons and soldiers on the ground denied being ordered to escort the children.

Escorts had been taking place, however, until 22 July when soldiers did not show up to see the children safely to their summer camp.

In 2004 the Israeli Knesset recommended that the Israeli military carry out a daily escort of the children of Tuba and Maghaer Al-Abeed to their school in Al-Tuwani in response to settler violence against them.

In 2006 Israeli occupation government minister of defense stated that the illegal outpost of Havot Ma'on should be dismantled because of the settlers' violence towards school children.

During the 2007-2008 school year, illegal Israeli settlers used violence against these children on at least 14 occasions.

Settlers assault Palestinian School Children and Internationals escorting the children near Hebron

Sunday July 27, 2008 15:01 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC News

Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian school children and international peace workers as they were escorting the children in Al-Tuwani in the Hebron region Sunday morning.

Janet Benvie, member of the Christian Peace Makers Team (CPT) in Hebron, told IMEMC that settlers attacked the children and internationals who accompany them as they were walking from the village of Tuba to a summer camp in the village of Al-Tuwani, both in the southern Hebron hills.

Settlers threw stones at the children and their accompaniers and wounded Joel Gullege, a CPT member from the United States. Settlers then kicked him on his legs, took his camera away and beat him both with the camera and their fists. Gullege has been taken to the hospital for treatment.

According to CPT, the Israeli army has rejected a number of requests by the group to provide escort to the children because of anticipated settler assaults.

CPT is a Christian organization arose from a call in 1984 for Christians to devote the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war. CPT function in conflict areas, including Iraq, Chiapas in Mexico, and Hebron in Palestine.

The group has maintained a permanent presence in Hebron since June 1995. Team members stand with Palestinians and Israeli peace groups engaged in nonviolent opposition to Israeli military occupation, collective punishment, settler harassment, home demolitions and land confiscation.

They have been continuously subject to army and settler harassment as they were trying to escort Palestinian children or farmers from and to their schools or work.

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers in Qalqilia

[ 26/07/2008 - 05:02 PM ]
QALQILIA, (PIC)--

A number of Israeli settlers from the Kadumim settlement in Qalqilia protected by IOF troops assaulted physically a number of Palestinian farmers on their way to their lands located to the south of the settlement.

Palestinian eyewitnesses reported that more than 10 settlers beat severely the Palestinian farmers as the IOF troops were watching without doing anything.

The eyewitnesses added the IOF troops intervened when Palestinian citizens gathered to protest at the maltreatment of the farmers, where they fired bullets and tear gas at the protesters.

Other Israeli settlers reportedly smashed and threw stones at Palestinian cars traveling near the Shavi Shomron settlement.

Hamas: Assassinating Natsha will not bring security to occupation

[ 27/07/2008 - 04:01 PM ]

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)--

The Hamas Movement stated Sunday, in the aftermath of the assassination of Shihabuddin Al-Natsha, a Qassam commander, that the Israeli occupation will not enjoy security and stability, calling on Hamas cadres and its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades in the West Bank to strike Israel's depth by all means and forms of resistance.

In a statement to the Bayan information center, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said the liquidation of Natsha by blasting the house he was entrenched in reflects the level of human and moral degradation the Israeli occupation reached in its dealing with the Palestinian people.

Following the assassination of Natsha, the IOF troops blocked Sunday morning all entrances to Al-Khalil city preventing citizens and vehicles from going into and out of the city and imposed arbitrary measures on them.

Palestinian eyewitnesses reported that the IOF troops stopped and searched vehicles which tried to reach their work and asked citizens to produce IDs, adding that the IOF troops are still holding dozens of citizens under the burning sun all over the city.

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