Hebron and South Hebron Hills Thursday 9.2.06 AM Observers: Leah S., Elena L (reporting)6:45 -10:30Summary: We were unable to complete our circuit because of settler violence against us in Hebron and the time spent on filing a complaint with the Hebron police. Before this we took down the details of the magnometer at Pharmacy CP as we had been asked to do. Near Carmeh,, soldiers had detained 9 Palestinians who had been driving on a dirt road running (without any barrier) into route 60. They were released immediately after we arrived. Sansana: 4 Palestinian workers were waiting for transport near the CP. Detainees 07:10 Near Carmeh -shortly past the junction of route 317 with route 60-we saw 9 Palestinian men detained by an army patrol. They had been in a minibus driving along a dirt road which runs without a barrier into route 60. As we approached we saw that they were opening their jackets and a soldier was doing an upper body check. Their IDs were handed back and they were allowed to drive away (not onto route 60 of course) a few minutes after we arrived. There was no indication that they had received any orders or information over the phone. We assumed our presence had made the difference. So, clearly, did the released Palestinians. When we asked the CO of the patrol what the problem was we were told “a routine check” –when we asked why, we were told “that’s not for you to know –it’s army business”.(10:10 Also near Carmeh but on route 60 a flying CP was observed manned by 2 soldiers. No detainees.) Dahariya- closed . There were 6 vehicles parked on the Dahariya sideDura-al Fawwar – Cement blocks on route 60 . The crossing is open to vehicles in both firection. No soldiers on the road but a hummer was parked near the pillbox.Beit Haggai – No CPJunction of routes 356 and 60: No CP. The only Palestinian private car observed on route 60 was traveling south towards the junction.Hebron Pharmacy CP – we had been asked to get the name of the magnometer at the CPs so we entered the checkpoint and examined the machine closely. A soldier watched us through the glass partition but made no move to stop us. The machine had a label on one side saying Ranger and on the other side US patent numbers which we copied down. The camera fixed on the wall opposite the machine was labeled BFT. Two CPT women whom we met outside the CP told us that pregnant women were allowed to pass alongside the CP rather than through it , though not invariably –”it depends on the soldier”. Both sides of the CP were blocked but on one side a passage could be cleared fairly easily. Settler violence towards MW women: a metal bowl and bike are thrown at us from a rooftop.The violent behavior of the settlers was so criminally lunatic that it deserves to be reported here, even though no Palestinians were involved.We began to walk up Shuhada street towards the Tel Romeida CP. We never got there. On the way we walked around the market which now has an Israeli flag painted on its wall with – instead of the shield of David at the center- a big black swastika. Next to it are painted the words “State property”. Leah went a little further into the Jewish quarter to photograph a flag saying “Hebron is ours for ever”. She was accosted there by a male settler- rudely- for, as I came up to stand beside to her, he said “Ah another whore –so, two whores!”. (He had first tried to order her not to photograph the flag). It was then that we began to be pelted with large objects from the roof above us. A door mat, then a big, sharp-edged metal bowl and then a child’s bicycle were thrown down from the roof above where we were standing -in the street -missing us by inches. The heavy mat brushed my shoulder, so I looked up- and saw the bowl coming down after it. I shouted to Leah to move -and it fell between us, as did the bicycle – Our backs had been to the wall of the building so all I caught sight of was a pair of hands throwing first the bowl and then the bike. When we took the bike and bowl with us (Leah has a non digital photograph of herself, holding them), we were accused of “stealing property” by one of the settler men who had witnessed the event. The bike and bowl \are now with the Hebron police (who also took our statements and filed out complaint ). The police were sympathetic and one of them said the sharp edge of the bowl “could have skewered a person”. However, we were not given a complaint number until noticed the blank space on the complaint –receipt and demanded it. One of the settler men on the spot, when asked by us what his name was, replied “Nazi”.