Holy Land: village demolished for second time

Villager in remains of animal shelter

The Israeli military demolished the village of Amniyr early yesterday morning, destroying seven tent dwellings and a sheep pen. This is the second time in just over a month that the military has demolished the village.

The military attempted to confiscate a tractor as well, but villagers surrounded it and refused to leave. According to villagers, six people required hospitalization after soldiers tried to forcefully remove them from the tractor before giving up and leaving the tractor in the village.

Immediately after the demolitions were finished, villagers began to reconstruct what they could of the rubble. As residents started gathering stones from a demolished sheep pen, an Israeli bulldozer could be seen across the valley as it continued to excavate new construction for the illegal Israeli settlement of Susiya.

Israel does not deny that the demolished homes are on private land owned by the village's Palestinian residents. However, Israel has declared the land to be “agricultural,” and prohibits the residents from constructing any dwellings, cisterns, or structures of any kind, essentially making it illegal for these villagers to live on their land.

Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams have maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.

For more information on Christian Peacemakers see: www.cpt.org/

Source: Christian Peacemaker Teams