March 8, 2006

At 8:00am, an HRW walking down the hill to the apartment noticed a group of 7 soldiers going into the
house of a Palestinian family. The HRW then phoned another HRW and they both went to the house.
The soldiers had been in the house for twenty minutes when they finally left.

The HRWs then talked to the family and the family said that the soldiers had entered the house because
their seven year old daughter had been playing in the window. The soldiers told her to leave the window
but she did not understand so they entered the house. They searched the house for twenty minutes,
making the family stand in the living room.

They would not allow the mother to go into another room in order to take her 1 year old daughter from
her crib. When leaving they threatened the family telling them that if anyone went to the window they
would come back and throw all their furniture into the street.

March 10, 2006

At 2:30pm an HRW was sitting on Shuhada street by himself when he witnessed a group of three settler
boys throw stones at a Palestinian man. The soldier yelled at the boys and they ran away.

At 3:00pm, two settler boys passed by an HRW sitting by himself and attempted to spit on him. The HRW stood up and the boys stood around for several seconds taunting him and went to pick up a stone. The HRW yelled at them and they finally left.

March 11, 2006
By Mary, ISM

At 1.00pm, Israeli settler children were throwing stones down the road at us and on the Palestinian
houses next to the Tel Rumeida settlement. I was hit once and dodged a few more, after walking children
up to the settlement. There were two soldiers at the entrance to the Tel Rumeida settlement. They
moved the settler children away and the stone throwing stopped.

At 2.00pm, a party of Israeli settlers came up Tel Rumeida hill. They were five teenagers followed by
several adults with a small child in a stroller. I moved near to two soldiers. Three of the teenager settlers
came at me on the side that the soldiers could not see. One kicked my hand hard so that I dropped the
camera and another spat at me. The Israeli settler adults laughed, even though my hand was obviously
hurt.

March 13, 2006

At 1:30pm a group of settlers passed an HRW on Shuhada and threw two stones at him calling him a
Nazi and then walked away.

In the evening, several settler youth threw large stones at internationals near the Tel Rumeida
settlement, striking a woman in the leg. The soldiers refused to intervene.

March 14 2006

At approximately 11:00am, two internationals were walking with several Palestinian children up the hill
towards their homes near the Tel Rumeida settlement after school had been dismissed. Present also
were UPI press members and other international accompaniers. It was clear from the outset that the
lone soldier nearby was unwilling to intervene as several settler youth began spitting and threatening
the Palestinian children and internationals. When the two internationals asked this soldier if he would
force the settler youth to retreat and allow the children to pass along the pass to their homes, his reply
was "It's not my job".

After the soldier informed us that this was not his task, one international then attempted to move along
the path with 4 young Palestinian children (ages approximately 6-12 yrs) and this same soldier said that
he was not permitted to pass.

Due to the escalating settler youth taunts and the lack of other assistance, the international walked with
the Palestinian children toward their homes through a barrage of stones, pieces of concrete thrown by
the youth along the path. A young Palestinian boy was struck in the stomach, the youngest girl in the
neck, and the international on the wrist and back by rocks. The children were in tears but were steadfast
in their intention to make it though the area.

The settler youth followed them from above along the path, continuing to throw stones until they
reached safety.

I returned to the Tel Rumeida settlement after walking the children to their homes, and the police had
arrived. A press photographer had also been struck in the head and was bleeding profusely. I was
asked to attend the police station, so I went with the Israeli police to the station where I made a report,
and the investigator assured me that they would attempt to press charges. The police officer/interpreter
present admitted that he was a recent arrival to Israel from Cleveland, Ohio and himself a settler, though
not at Tel Rumeida. Although some of the discussion was in Hebrew, I could clearly hear an investigator
tell another "ISM...ISM...ISM..." I reminded the police that I was the one making the report, on behalf of
the Palestinian children, not my relatively minor injuries.

--------------------

By Mary, ISM
After I had walked with two lots of children to their home across from the Tel Rumeida settlement, he
said that if I went he would stop the children. Soldiers can detain Palestinians for up to 4 hours without
reason. He said that the soldier outside the settlement would watch the children. The next two children
were prepared to go by themselves. So I stayed back.

Then a 10 year old boy, who lives in the house in the settlement came. He was not prepared to go alone
and vanished back around the corner. I asked the soldier if he had gone home and he said no. He didn’t
know where he was. I said he was hiding because he was frightened. The kid came back and sat on the
curb waiting.

I said that the soldier outside the settlement needed to wait in the street so that the boy could see him.
So the soldier called the other one on the radio telephone. I pointed to the soldier and indicated that the
kid should go. He didn’t. I said he’s frightened. I don’t speak Arabic, you tell him. So the soldier
indicated that he should go up to the soldier outside the settlement. There were settlers around and the
boy stayed close to the other soldier until they were passed. Then he ran.

*The following day, there were different young soldiers. The boy came round the corner, saw that the
soldier and his jeep were gone and the street was empty. He gave me a great big smile and we walked
up the hill together to the settlement!!

March 16, 2006 THURSDAY

Settlers from the Tel Rumeida settlement attacked a Palestinian family and barred its members from
plowing their orchard near their home, adjacent to the illegal outpost.

The group of settlers, youth and adults, attacked the family of Abu Haikal, and hurled stones at them.

Lina Abu Haikal, 30, said that settlers cut off three grapevines and demanded her family to leave the
land.

Meanwhile, the Israeli police arrived to the area and demanded that the family own a digital camera in
order to record the settlers attack as a proof of these incidents.

March 17, 2006 FRIDAY

At 2:45pm, a soldier tried to detain an HRW because he believed the HRW had lied to him about leaving
the checkpoint. The HRW decided to walk away and the soldier followed him yelling at him to stop. The
HRW kept walking until finally he reached the top of the hill. The soldier pushed the HRW and
demanded to see his passport. The HRW refused and then when the police arrived, he showed his
passport to them. The soldier left and the police let the HRW go.

March 18, 2006 SATURDAY

At 11.15am and the Palestinian children from the Qurtaba school were coming home. A young girl came
alone to go to her home near the Tel Rumeida settlement. Two human rights workers followed some
distance behind. The soldier at the entrance to the settlement did not come out of his box.

Israeli settler children started to throw rocks at the young Palestinian girl as she walked past the
settlement. One of the internationals went into the box and tried to persuade the soldier (who spoke
little English) to come out and stop the settlers throwing rocks. More settler children came out and
started throwing rocks at the internationals, who had to duck and jump to avoid being hit. One
international, who was trying to film the children throwing rocks, was hit several times. The other was
able to duck behind the soldiers box. The soldier eventually came out but did little to stop the rock
throwing.

Other soldiers began to arrive and an international called the police. In the meantime, other children
who live alongside the settlement were also hit by rocks. The average size of the rocks was 7-8cm (2.5-
3in) but some were larger. When the police arrived the rock-throwing stopped.

--------------------

At 3:30pm, a group of HRWs witnessed a group of settlers attempt to prevent two boys from entering
their home across from Tel Rumeida settlement. The settlers were holding hands and forming a line so
that the two boys could not pass. The soldiers would not let the HRWs pass. One HRW continually told
the soldiers to help the two boys.

Finally the soldier told the HRW that if they stopped filming he would help the boys. The HRW let the
camera hang at his side and the soldier went to help.

The two boys were finally allowed through when the mother of the boys appeared on the other side of
the line and yelled at the soldiers and the settlers, creating a temporary gap in the line. The mother got
the children inside and the settlers then began to throw stones at the house and got a hose to spray
water at it. This proceeded for ten minutes without the soldiers stopping the settlers.

Two HRWs then went around through the olive groves in order to film from the top of the settlement.
They began filming for about two minutes before the settlers noticed. The HRW effectively made a
soldier stop the settlers from spraying water and throwing stones.

Two settler teenage boys then began to harass the HRWs, blocking them from filming. Two of the settler
boys who were throwing stones at the house then came and began to throw stones at the HRWs. When
an HRW tried to film the boys, a 40 year old settler man attacked one HRW from the back, kicking him.
The man then tried to kick the camera and punch the HRW in the face.

The soldiers then took the HRWs down the hill outside the apartment where they were threatened by
police of arrest for “inciting settler aggression.”

March 21, 2006 TUESDAY

At about 8pm, there was a lot of yelling in the street outside the internationals apartment in Tel
Rumeida. Israeli soldiers were demanding that men from the building opposite came down to the street.
Two men came down. They were told that everyone, including the baby, must come down to the street.

An international asked what was the reason for this. A soldier replied that he could not tell her but that
there had been a complaint about someone in one of the apartments. He could not say which apartment.

The soldiers persisted in demanding that the two men bring the families out. The men refused. One man
was sent back into the building but the families did not come out. The international rang the DCO
(District Command Office). The woman at the DCO said that she would check the matter.

Some more soldiers came by. One of the original soldiers asked the international why she would not let
them do their work. She replied "Let? How can I not let you? I can't stop you." The soldiers went into the
apartment building with guns ready as though after terrorists! They banged on a door. They then came
down, let the two men go and left themselves.

March 22, 2006 WEDNESDAY

When internationals were leaving a Palestinian home after a visit, Israeli settler children came on to
Palestinian land and threw rocks (3inches or 8cm in diameter) at the owner of the house and the people
leaving.

At first the one Israeli soldier nearby did nothing to help. However, another four soldiers arrived. Even
then, some children continued to throw rocks for some minutes before the soldiers forced them to leave
the area. No one was injured but the visitors had to dodge and duck away from rocks.

March 25, 2006 SATURDAY
By Brian

I was sitting on Shuhada street with an Italian International. He left because he had to use the bathroom
and went to the top of the hill. He then relieved another international who had to go to H1 to develop
pictures for some children since it was his last day in Tel Rumeida. Another International was having tea
with a family while two more had left about an hour earlier for Jerusalem.

I was sitting by myself on the street for about ten minutes after the other international had left when 20-
25 settlers approached me from the direction of the checkpoint. I saw them coming and knew that they
would not pass without some kind of harassment so I prepared myself for it. I turned on the video
camera let it sit at my side since I knew it was shabbot and that turning a camera on a settler was an act
of aggression.

I ignored the settlers as they approached but when they finally reached me and slowed down I stood up.
They quickly surrounded me and began first by spitting on me.

One of the settlers grabbed my camera, trying to steal it, but fortunately I had the strap around my arm
so he could not take it. The soldier at the soldier’s post then made his one and only attempt to help me
by quickly yelling "Hey," and then did nothing as you will later see.

The settlers then attacked me spitting on me and then punching and kicking me. They then made a
second attempt to damage the camera as a boy grabbed it and managed to take the battery. I quickly
chased the boy, dodging settlers, and he threw it on the ground. I chased the battery down and then
managed to retrieve it, but was now cornered and standing against a wall. The settlers then continued to
punch and kick me.

A few of the settlers, after hitting me, would step back and motion that I should hit them: taunting me. I
did not hit a single boy.

The older man did however attack me after I made no moves to attack any of the boys. He attempted to
kick me which I managed to block and then hit me which I also managed to block. He then left me and
remained outside the ring of settlers who continued to throw rocks, punch and kick me.

It was then that I was hit for the first time in the back of the head. I then began to walk to the soldiers’
post, since the settlers showed no signs of stopping, so that the soldier would be able to help me. I then
noticed that a settler woman was clearly distracting the soldier from the situation and was yelling at him.

It was then that I was hit a second time and nearly passed out. I blacked out for about five seconds and
stumbled while hearing the settlers cheer that they had wounded me. I then shrugged off the blackout
and continued to walk to the soldiers post. When I arrived I yelled at the soldier to help me but he quickly
walked away to get on the radio, (in an attempt to call more soldiers or not I do not know. More soldiers
never showed up.) and ignored me.

At this point I was hit a third time by a stone in the back of the head; the settler women started to yell at
me as I was repeatedly hit with stones, punched and kicked.

I went around the back of the soldier’s post in order to approach the soldier but when I got close to him I
could clearly see the fear in his eyes as he moved further away from me. The settlers were even
climbing all over the soldier’s post, still attacking me, of which the soldier did nothing. I was bleeding at
this time, from the last rock, and showed the blood to the soldier. One of the settlers began to yell and
picked up a large stone to hurl at me but missed. Due to his yells three other boys then became
extremely agitated and threw more stones.

The soldier at this point, obviously afraid, yelled at me to go away since it was clearly the only way the
situation would deescalate. He continued to yell at me to leave and I then left seeing no point in staying
around. The soldier during the whole time, start to finish, did nothing. The settlers also during the whole
incident, which lasted about five minutes, never stopped attacking me.

The settlers followed me for about 50 meters, still throwing stones, then finally gave up and scattered.
Afterwards I went to the police. When the police arrived at the apartment, (just showed up actually they
never answered their phone) I told them repeatedly that I would be willing to go to Beit Hadassah
settlement or Tel Rumeida settlement in order to identify some of the settlers who attacked me.

They refused saying that I would have to go to the police station first in order to identify pictures of
settlers. After arguing for some time the policeman finally gave me a choice: either come with him to fill
out a report, or do as I like. So I went to the police station and after filling out the report I looked through
pictures and of course because the books contained adults while most of the settlers were under 18 I
could identify no one.

I then told the police that I was completely willing to go to Beit Hadassah and identify the settlers who did
this to me since I recognized at least 10 as they lived in the settlements. They told me that the only time I
could have done this was directly after the incident occurred when the police van first picked my up. At
this point I yelled at the police that this was what I suggested in the first place but he was quick to tell me
that that was not his problem and that we would not be going to the settlements.
The police then ended the session and made me walk home despite the fact that I was still bleeding from the back of my head and in need of medical attention.

March 26th, 2006 SUNDAY
By Jane, ISM

There was a commotion outside and we went to investigate. As we come down the stairwell a young boy
says “soldiers, soldiers” and points into the apartment. On entering the apartment I see first one soldier,
gun raised and pointing at people, then I see another and another, 6 altogether. All with guns raised.
The apartment seems full of women and men shouting, there are 5 or 6 children. A teenage son had
been hit in the mouth. Another man tells the other international the soldiers kicked him.

Suddenly the soldiers decide to leave and back down the stairs. Perhaps there were too many people
for them. Many people follow, shouting their grievances at the soldiers for entering their home and their
violent behaviour. The soldiers are shouting back. The Captain of the soldiers says they went into the
house because they heard shouting, nobody believes this.

More soldiers and Border Police arrive until they are very many. The Captain confers with his men. They
decide they want to take the father. In the chaos I don’t know if the soldiers reentered the building.

What I saw was 4 soldiers wrestle the father to the ground and handcuff him with plastic cuffs behind his
back, using aggressive force, banging his head on the ground. After he was cuffed a soldier approached him and kicked him. The Police arrived and he was taken away.

One man persuaded everyone to go back into the building. We stood at the entrance. The soldiers
decided they wanted another man. Soldiers surrounded the doorway, they tossed me aside. The other
international refused to let them enter saying “ these people are my family, you can’t come into my
house”. They hesitated, they yelled at the Palestinians inside.

The other man then appeared on the stairwell. They grabbed the other international very roughly twice and grabbed the other man. They pushed him up against the outside wall of the building and rubbed his face across the stone. They hit him and threw him on the ground, they kicked him. They cuffed him behind his back. The women are screaming out of the windows. They take him behind one of their vehicles.

For me when I see a Palestinian being taken behind a vehicle I think he will get beaten so I stood nearby, the 2 soldiers guarding him demanding ‘get back, get back’. A large man in civilian clothes shone a bright video camera light in his eyes and filmed him. He stood right over him as the Palestinian man was crouched down on a low ledge. I turned my back for a second, on turning round the Palestinian man signaled with his eyes and motioned that the man had spat at him. An action I had half caught in the corner of my eye. Then I understood the man was a settler. The soldiers continued to let him stand over the Palestinian man and verbally abuse him.

Soldiers had lined up behind vehicles and trained their guns on the building. It seemed to take forever
before the Police arrived again and this man was put in the back of their vehicle. Mary said she wanted
to go with him and the Police did not object, so she climbed in too.

In the home the wait began. The street had been closed but now people began to arrive. The older men
clicked their prayer beads whilst they talked. Women made coffee, peeled oranges and apples. One
man regularly rang the Police. No news, no news and then bad news, the two Palestinian men were
accused of attacking the soldiers.

One of the sons says “Bush is claiming we are the terrorists and all the European Governments go
along with him and support him. But look how Palestinians are treated, you can see the reverse is true”.
Another person says “The settlers want the Palestinians to leave the area but the people will not follow
this plan, so they are harassing us to force us to leave, but we will not leave until we die and this will be
transmitted from son to son”.

Suddenly the police tell them good news, the two men and the international are all being released. It’s a
fast walk up hill to get to a car. It’s parked outside the Israeli controlled area, where Palestinians are not
allowed to drive. We skirt round Tel Rumeida in the car, to get back to almost where we had left the
house and on to the Police station. At the gates of the Police station, one of the Palestinians has to stick
his fingers though the metal gate to use a phone to communicate with the Police inside.

At midnight, the 3 are released. The international has also been accused of attacking the soldiers. The
second man who was arrested is very sore and bruised, he has blood in one of his eyes.

March 28, 2006 TUESDAY

At the Tel Rumeida checkpoint, an Israeli soldier lashed out injuring a Palestinian man by kicking him
and hitting him with his rifle.

Things were quiet and calm at the checkpoint through the morning. I said hello to the 2 soldiers on the
checkpoint. The children came out of school through the checkpoint, or up the hill to their homes.

At about 12.30pm the teachers approached the checkpoint. They have established with the soldiers
previously that they will not pass through the checkpoint and instead use a small metal gate at the side.
Three young Palestinian men were being kept waiting, leaning against the wall by the gate, on the other
side of the checkpoint.

After the teachers had passed by, the gate was not completely shut. One of the soldiers said something
to the 3 Palestinians waiting the other side and one of the young men responded. The soldier shouted,
and the young man banged his hand on the gate. In a flash the soldier erupted. He rushed up to the
young man shouting and put his gun a hairs breadth from the young man’s face. The young man
backed off, running back into the street.

The soldier yelled, following and threatening him by aiming his gun. The soldier made him kneel down in
the middle of the street. The 2nd soldier ran up, forcefully kicking him, before swinging his rifle and
hitting him on the side of his head. Meanwhile the international shouted “I'm filming you, stop hitting
him!” One soldier shouted "shut the fuck up."
The soldiers then brought the young man through the gate. He had blood flowing down the side of his
head. The young man was taken away in an army vehicle. At the Police station he was accused of
attacking the soldiers.

A woman from Machsom Watch, made a complaint about the soldier's behaviour. She informed the
Police that we have on film the soldier attacking the young man but still they refuse to release him.

A call came shortly after to say that settler's children were throwing stones at Palestinian kids.