Violation: placing a mobile home in a Palestinian field and banning the owners from accessing it.
Location: Tqu’ – Bethlehem.
Date: January 15, 2013.
Perpetrators: colonists of Nikudim.
Victim: Muhammad Sabbah.
Details:
On January 15, 2013, a group of Israeli colonists placed a mobile home in a plot located to the east of Tqu’ village. A member of Tqu’ Municipality stated: ‘the purpose of the aggression is capturing more Palestinian lands and expanding the colony.. On January 3, a group of colonists attacked some farmers and literally kicked them out of their lands; they even threatened them with guns. The owners clashed with the colonists but were forced to withdraw when the Israeli Police interfered in favor of the colonists’.
A glimpse on Tqu’:
Tqu’ is an old Canaanite name which meant ‘placing of tents’; the crusaders called it ‘Thecua’ as it was one of their strongholds in Bethlehem area. Tqu’ has a great deal of Roman, Greek, and Mamluke ruins considering its strategic location.
One of the most significant ruins is the ‘baptism basin’ which is a stony artifact that has been cut and formed. It represents a number of Christian sects. It is believed that the artifact has been made around the 1750s; it is also believed that this is one part of a two-part artifact; the second part’s location is unknown.
Tqu’ is surrounded by 5 Israeli colonies including Tquah, AlDavid, Nikudim, in addition to two other colonies to the south, Mizpe Shalim and Mushki Dar Got.
Tqu’ total area is 9 km2; its actual borders extends to the east reaching the Dead Sea making its area 80 km2. It is inhabited by 8565 people.
