Several activists decided to supply the Palestinians with black plastic sheets to cover their tents and sheep pens in the winter. In the past we brought sturdier canvas sheets, donated by a guy from Rosh Haayin of his own surplus. Since October 7^th, he is no longer willing to supply any more, using different excuses. The cost of the sheets is divided equally between us and the Palestinians, with the money itself donated by Women in Black. This is the place for me to express my tremendous appreciation to this organization of brave women who had been standing for years on Fridays throughout the country in roundabouts and junction, with their signs protesting the occupation. They have received curses, been spat on, even beaten up, but did not give up. Now they have grown older and can no longer face the monstrous violence raging in the city streets.

Shlomo Shapira loaned us a pickup truck and a trailer, and added a huge nylon cylinder that has been lying in his yard for two years. We added many blankets, shoes and boots and were on our way.

We received the area commander’s permission to cross the Hamra Checkpoint in order to recch N. with the sheets. However their size did not fit. So we passed on the material to a family in Samara (three brothers and their aging father) and they bought it gladly and even ordered another cylinder of the same size. As winter approaches, everyone rushes to protect their residences and livestock sheds, and this subsidy makes it much easier. The main problem is its delivery.

At this opportunity we drove on to visit F. and M., the last shepherds left in the Jamra region. With extraordinary courage, they refuse to leave their land and face the violent attacks of colonist Moshe Sharvit. 15 families have already escaped due to colonist terrorization backed up by the Israeli army.

The longest waiting line – for harassment’s sake

Hamra Checkpoint 12-1 p.m.

In all my 22 years as a MachsomWatch activist I have never seen such a long waiting line at the checkpoint. Hundreds of cars on their way to work, to a doctor, to arrange things, dozens of laden trucks with wares that need to get to their destination – were all stuck on the road for long hours. The passengers crowd next to them, smoking, stretching… And why?? No inhabitant of his region has ever perpetrated a terrorist act of any kind!! Ever!!

Clearly this is just another way of harassing them. When we passed there on our way  back about an hour and a half later, many recognizable cars were still waiting there as we approached. Who knows how long they would have to go on waiting. “The water checkpoint” closes at 1:45 p.m. Inhabitants of the Valley cross here as they are prevented regular piped water supply, reserved for colonists only. They drive to Atouf, in the PA area, in their old rusty tankers, day in day out. The checkpoint opens for half an hour only, and even then, the soldiers first let through the colony workers, and some tankers are sent home empty. Who cares that Palestinian livestock die of thirst, that Palestinians and their children suffer thirst. The army is not impressed by the fact that they must drive a long distance in their tractors, on dirt tracks, and pay huge sums of money for this basic commodity – water.

Murder and fun for the colonists of the Palestinian Jordan Valley

Dan brought an electric saw with him, for Al Khader – a Palestinian village we had often visited in the past – had trees that had been cut down and he intended to take care of them. But what we saw there was much more than cut down trees. The villagers, attacked daily by colonists from Rotem and Shadmot Mekhola, were frightened by the threats and simply ran off, leaving behind tents, sheep pens, furniture and TV sets, and lots of utensils. The skull-capped, side-curled pogromists came along, burnt olive trees and destroyed homes, contents, TV sets and other things. They even cut a water pipe that is still pouring its water to the ground. Where once was a small locality bathing in greenery,

now has just a single fig tree.

Dan sawed tree trunks in order to bring them to Fathi as firewood. We came there and I was shocked! We found a broken man whose single wish is to die. He no longer has any taste for life left. For years, the colonists have been chasing him and his sons away from every bit of land and preventing them to graze his skinny cows. The spring that used to water the shepherds’ cattle has now been refurbished by the colonists and become a dipping pool and a mikve (Jewish ritual bath). Naturally, the place has been fenced in, so that not a single thirsty cow may penetrate the playground that has been robbed from them.

Lately Fathi went to Yarza – far from his home and from the colonist outposts. No go. Yesterday, the Asael colonist came on his ATV and, speeding, murdered a day-old calf. The calf had not lived even a whole day and the colonists, with cruelty I cannot even begin to imagine, ran it over, as well as its mother. He crushed the mother’s leg and it was impossible to take it home due to the great distance and her weight.

They brought her food and water, and the next day she too died. Note: the hills all around are covered most of the year in good and nourishing grass, but Fathi can no longer enjoy it because the colonists stop him wherever he goes. He has never done any harm to anyone, he and his sons have been growing cows on the meager grass of the Jordan Valley that is waterless most months of the year, in unbearable poverty and heat. He has no problem with his new Jewish neighbors, but they do not wish to be neighbors. They wish to chase him away and take over the entire region.