Map1: an aerial picture showing the targeted Ballouta (The Oak) area
Violation: various attacks including uprooting and destruction of 30 trees.
Location: Ballouta Area – Eastern Yatta Town.
Date: February 1 and 2, 2010.
Violators: Maon Colony colonists.
Victims: Rib’i Clan.
Introduction: Maon Colony colonists’ aggressions against the Palestinians residing in At Tawani village located to the south of Yatta Town are unstoppable.
Jamal Ribi’i, an inhabitant of At Tawani village claims that the colonists’ aggressions are held on daily basis. He claimed in his statement that the colonists’ objective is driving the Palestinian inhabitants out of their lands by any means necessary in order to clear the way for colonial expansion.
On January 2, 2010, and while an LRC researcher happened to be in the area, another attack happened, the locals told the LRC observer: ‘The colonists assaulted the shepherds in Ballouta area and that young men in the village rushed to help their fellow Palestinians and because if they do not stop the colonists, no one else will’.
Mus’ab and Jamal Ribi’i reported to the LRC observer in the area after standing against the colonists’ attack, they said:’ such aggressions occur on daily basis against farmers and shepherds in the area. 20 colonists showed up and attempted to expel a shepherd from his land. My fellow countrymen, members of the CPT, Italian peacekeepers, and I rushed to stop the attack, and the colonists flew as soon as we arrived to the scene’.
Cutting down 30 olive trees:
On January 4, 2010, thirty fifteen years old olive trees were cut down by Maon colonists. The trees belonged to Mousa’b Ribi’i, a resident of At Tawani village. Colonists, who used night as a cover, used chainsaws for that purpose. It must be noted that the trees were planted in a 4 dunums area (dunum = 1000 m2) that suffered from a similar attack 2 years ago.
Picture 1+2: a citizen furious of what happened to her land
Picture 3+4: Palestinians checking out the damage
Many other attacks were recorded; one of the colonists unleashed his cattle, consisting of 150 goats, in 22 dunums field planted with wheat and yeast belonging to the Palestinians in the area. The attack caused catastrophic damage to the plants.
Furthermore, on December 2009, 40 colonists backed by Israeli Occupation soldiers attacked the village claiming that they are looking for some stolen goods and demanding the right to search the Palestinian houses for that reason. The locals said: ‘the colonists broke into Na’im al ‘Adra house and searched it in a provocative manner. When the locals tried to defend themselves the Israeli soldiers interfered by using poisonous gas and beating the Palestinians. 5 Palestinians suffered from suffocation and one of a broken nose’.
Mousa’b Ribi’i stated: ‘on January 7, 2010, a group of colonists claimed that I attacked an Israeli colonist, because of that, soldiers of the Israeli Occupation Army cuffed and blindfolded me for 12 hours’.
Children are not spared, Alessandra, an Italian citizen and a peacekeeper working in the area said:’ our job here is basically escorting children to their schools. It happened many times that colonists try to attack and terrorize children on their way to school’.
It is clear that the number of the colonists’ attacks in the West Bank in general is uncountable. The situation will stay like this as long as there are Israeli Occupation colonies in the area and Palestinians will never enjoy peace and stability.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
