Jordan Valley fire zone: dangerous for Palestinians playground for settlers

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Observers: 
Rita Mendes-Flohr (reporting) Guy Hircefeld (driving) Ilana Hammerman and Suf.
Sep-16-2018
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Morning
settler boy on donkey from Shirat HaAsabim herding sheep freely in the firing zone
settler boy on donkey from Shirat HaAsabim herding sheep freely in the firing zone
Photo: 
Rita Mendes Flor
milk cans at the El Hama shepherds' community –
milk cans at the El Hama shepherds' community –
Photo: 
Rita Mendes Flor

6 am to 10 am.

In recent days, the Palestinian herders at El Hama have been facing constant harassment from both the settlers of the illegal outpost "Shirat HaAsabim" (such poetic names for such criminal places) as well as from the army - who paid a nightly visit to the herders' camp night before at 1.30 am, apparently just to intimidate.

At this time of the year, the only place where there is just a little grass left for the sheep is up on the hills, an area that has been declared a firing zone, but where the Palestinians have been allowed to herd their sheep until about two years ago, when the outpost was established.

We go up on the hill, to scout the place, and the Palestinian shepherds follow, at a distance. On top, we find a teenage settler boy on a donkey with his herd of very special merino sheep. He seems in his element, not going to school but roaming freely on his donkey in the wild accompanied by his large German shepherd. To him, it does not seem to matter that this is a firing zone, and the outpost itself might very well be in the firing zone - we have to check that. Declaring an area to be a firing zone - which is seldom used as such - has been one of the tactics of the authorities to keep Palestinians away in Area C. It does not seem to apply to settlers....

After a senior settler joins the teenage herder, three female soldiers appear, obviously called by the settlers. They tell us we have to leave, that we are endangering ourselves being in the firing zone. We say as soon as those settlers leave, we too will. Apparently, we do not leave fast enough, and the officer threatens to detain us. Later we see that the settler sheep have not been at all in a hurry to return to their pens.