Hebron Update April 12-18, 2002 by CPT 8:41am Wed Apr 24 '02 The team traveled to Bethlehem where Rick Polhamus, Anne Montgomery, Kathleen Kern, Peggy Gish, three members of the clergy and a theology teacher attempted to deliver food to the people hold-up in Nativity Church (see April 16 release Bethlehem: Breaking the Siege in Manger Square.) print article Hebron Update April 12-18, 2002 Friday April 12, No Curfew The team traveled to Bethlehem where Rick Polhamus, Anne Montgomery, Kathleen Kern, Peggy Gish, three members of the clergy and a theology teacher attempted to deliver food to the people hold-up in Nativity Church (see April 16 release Bethlehem: Breaking the Siege in Manger Square.) Leaving Jerusalem to go back to Hebron, the Palestinian taxi van Polhamus was riding in was detained by Israeli police. Along with five other vans, Polhamus's van was escorted to an Israeli police station where the Palestinians' IDs were checked. At the station the police told Polhamus that the Palestinians were all suspects in a suicide bombing that had taken place in Jerusalem two hours before. Over the course of several hours all the vans were let go, but by the time Polhamus's van was released, it was late and the roads were no longer safe. The passengers returned to Jerusalem to spend the night and return to Hebron in the morning. Saturday April 13, No Curfew While walking through the old city of Hebron, Dianne Roe and Joanne Lingle saw large rocks thrown down from behind the settlement of Avraham Avinu, and into the market. Palestinian boys were running for protection and yelling "settlers." The two CPTers walked under store awnings so they wouldn't be hit. Montgomery, Gish and Greg Rollins attended a march to Jenin organized by the Palestinian and Israeli peace organization Ta'ayush (Coexistence.) There, along with several thousand Israelis, Palestinian Israelis, and internationals, they marched to a checkpoint. In conjunction with the march, 31 truckloads of food, cloths and blankest, and see it delivered into the city. Gish attempted to return to Hebron in the evening but was unable to cross the bridge from Halhoul to Hebron because Israeli soldiers were shooting at the cars that attempted to pass. She spent the night with a Palestinian family from Halhoul. Sunday April 14, No Curfew Because the roads to Hebron were closed to all Palestinian traffic by the Israeli army, it took Montgomery six hours to travel from Jerusalem. A trip that would typically take forty five minutes. At one point soldiers stopped the van and asked Montgomery if it had passed through a checkpoint. When Montgomery said no, the van was forced to go to the closest checkpoint. There, soldiers said that the Palestinians had broken the law by avoiding checkpoints, and the van was placed in a cage along with another Palestinian van. Two hours later both vans were released and allowed to continue to Hebron. Gish was again unable to cross the bridge from Halhoul into Hebron because Israeli soldiers continued to fire upon any cars that tried to cross. She spent a second night with the same Palestinian family as the first. Monday, April 15, No Curfew, Israeli Remembrance Day Polhamus and Rollins took part in a Palestinian march in Hebron that called for the Red Cross to resume their duties after the organization had announced it would cut back on its work in the West Bank and Gaza because of the difficulties caused by Israeli soldiers. Rollins showed an Israeli friend from Peace Now around the city. The Israeli was shocked by the Hebrew graffiti he saw throughout the souq.One read, "The Border Police rule in the trenches." They also saw a flag that said, "Hebron always was and always will be." Beneath it someone had written in Hebrew, "But for how long?" Tuesday, April 16, Curfew imposed at 4:00 PM, Israeli Independence Day In the morning Gish was able to safely cross the bridge from Halhoul to Hebron and safely retuned to the CPT apartment. At 4:45 PM a shot was heard close to the CPT apartment. A neighbor told Rollins that a Palestinian man had been shot and killed in Gross Square. The Palestinian ambulance that had gone to pick up the body was not allowed to enter the Israeli controlled area of the city, and was detained by Israeli soldiers. Rollins and Gish went down to Grosse Square to ask the soldiers why the ambulance was being detained. While there Rollins asked one soldier what had happened when the Palestinian had been shot. "The man tried to stab me. Is that good enough for you?" the soldier replied. The soldiers also said that the body had been taken by the army and would be given to the Palestinians some time in the next few days. The ambulance was then released but was not given the body of the Palestinian man. On his way to Hebron in the afternoon, Mark Frey was unable to cross the bridge from Halhoul to Hebron, because Israeli soldiers were again firing at Palestinian cars. He called the Israeli army's District Commander to inform them that civilians wanted to pass over the bridge. A secretary assured him that she would talk to the appointed person. Ten minutes later when Frye tried to pass on foot, Israeli soldiers fired warning shots in the air. When he continued, they shot two times 10 ft. in front of him. He ended up staying the night in Halhoul with several others who were unable to cross into Hebron. Wednesday, April 17, 2002, Curfew Over night the Israeli army reoccupied the village of Dura, just east of Hebron. Gish and Rollins went out on school patrol where they watched children enter two schools, only to have Israeli soldiers tell the headmaster and headmistress that the children were not allowed to be there because there was a curfew. The police, however, did not evacuate either of the other two schools in the same block. Frey was able to safely pass from Halhoul to Hebron and return to the CPT apartment. Thursday, April 18, 2002. Curfew. Rollins talked with an Israeli soldier who admitted to shooting at cars on the bridge between Hebron and Halhoul. The soldier said it was because they had received word that a car bomb was trying to pass that way. Because they did not know which car would have the bomb, they shot at all the cars in order to keep them from crossing. When Rollins asked the soldier why they shot at people who tried to pass on foot, the soldier denied. He appeared shocked when Rollins told him soldiers had shot on CPTer Frye. add your comments Source file