International Solidarity Movement Update
Three international Human Rights Workers were arrested on Thursday, August 1st at 6pm while accompanying Palestinian
farmers in the South Hebron Hills. They are currently being held in Kiriyat Arba Police Station, Hebron, where they are
being charged with entering a Closed Military Zone (CMZ), despite the fact that settlers were attacking Palestinian
farmers at the time and the region is a restricted area for Israeli citizens.
Nidal Hajaj (Britain), Noki Shiga (Japan) and Frederik Jansson (Sweden), were asked by Rabbi's for Human Rights to
accompany a group of Palestinian farmers to graze their livestock and take pictures of the area. The land in question
was the subject of a recent High Court decision that declared the area restricted for Israelis in an attempt to prevent
settlers attacks on Palestinian farmers. This ruling, however, also means that Israeli Human Rights Groups are unable to
accompany farmers grazing their livestock on the land. The court ruling, however, does not prevent international human
rights activists or groups from accompanying the Palestinian farmers.
Within a half an hour of the farmers reaching their land, accompanied by the three international human rights workers,
settlers attempted to intimidate the group. The car load of settlers attempted to drive their vehicle into the herd of
sheep belong to the Palestinian farmers, in an attempt to scare and intimidate the farmers who were grazing the herd.
The three internationals accompanying the Palestinian farmers rang Rabbis for Human Rights, who contacted the Israeli
army and DCO. Israeli police quickly arrived on the scene and rather than arrest the settlers, who were allowed to
leave, they arrested the three internationals instead.
Human Rights Groups have managed to film many instances of settlers attacks on Palestinian farmers in the South Hebron
Hills in recent weeks, notably a Palestinian farmer being beaten while tied to a electricity pole
(http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite? cid=1215330873815=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull)
ends