Who Is In Charge?

Tuwani is like one big camping trip. This time I brought some of my camping equipment and was much happier for it. I was also happy to have serious rain gear, even though it covered me from head to foot in army green and the villagers kept saying that I looked like a soldier.

Our main mission in Tuwani at this point is accompanying the shepherds as they try to reclaim grazing land that settlers kicked them off of years ago. Thanks to our presence they are now going to places that they have been afraid to go to for several years, even though the land belongs to them. We have almost daily encounters with soldiers and settler security, but this week there were no dangerous encounters with settlers.

There was this week a settler attack against Palestinian shepherds in the adjacent village of Jawaia, across the road from Tuwani. We were not accompanying them, but were called to wait with them until the police came (after over an hour). One woman had a serious punture wound on her forehead and another a fractured hand. They believe that the reason they were attacked is that no internationals were accomanying them, and they will call us from now on when they want to graze there. Their land is located right across the road from the Maon settlement.

We had a few other bizarre incidents as well. Basically, any time the Palestinian shepherds want to graze anywhere near the settlement or settlement outposts, settler security comes and calls the army and the army asks them to move. We ask for the orders and the map which closes the areas legally, but there rarely is one. We are there because it makes the shepherds feel safer when we deal with these authorities.

It seems clear to me, and several soldiers have confirmed this, that the Israeli army is taking their orders from the settlement. When we talk to settler security, they make it clear that they think that all the land belongs to the Jews and the Palestinians have no rights to it. I'm guessing that if peace becomes more of a reality, these settlers will step up their violence, as they become afraid that the settlements and outposts will be dismantled.