At-Tuwani, South hebron Hills School Patrol Update September 2011

During September the internationals working with Operation Dove and CPT registered 19 days of school. The military escort was always present but often arrived late and the soldiers often did not perform the escort as they should, thus endangering the kids. Moreover, we registered several episodes of settlers’ harassments and threatenings, both on the kids’ way to school and on their way back home.

In the mornings, the escort delay forced the kids to be late at school for more then five minutes for about the 58% of the times. The kids missed in total more then two hours of school. The 56% of the times the soldiers did not walk with the kids and for the 44% of the times they did not complete the escort until the end of the path.

In the afternoons, the kids had to wait for two hours in total (in three occasions they had to wait for about half an hour) for the army to escort them back home. The 33% of the school days they had to wait for more then five minutes. The 68% of the times the soldiers refused to walk with the kids and the 63% of the times they did not escort them until the end of the path, leaving them alone in dangerous places, where in the past they have been attacked by the settlers of Ma’on and Havat Ma’on.

In five occasions (mornings: Tuesday 6, Sunday 11; afternoons: Sunday 4, Tuesday 6, Sunday 11, Tuesday 13, Monday 19), the soldiers failed to escort the kids properly. They let the kids walk alone in very dangerous places or stayed very far from the kids during the whole path or failed to protect them if threatened by settlers.

In the morning of Sunday, September 11, the escort stayed far from the kids. A settler’s car came out from the Ma’on greenhouses and went towards a child alone. He started to run away, and the car moved towards the other children, that jumped off the side of the road. The soldiers did not do anything.

In the morning of Sunday, September 18, when the children were close to the Ma’on greenhouses, a settler truck went between the escort and the children. The children were scared and ran down the road. The military stopped by the greenhouses and did not complete the escort.

In the afternoon, two young settlers were waiting at the greenhouses. One settler was on a QUAD and the other one on a scooter. As soon as the children passed by the greenhouses, the two settlers went among the children, making dust, and then went away.

In the afternoon of Monday, September 19, the escort left the children alone at the beginning of the barns. At the end of the barns there was a settler car waiting for the children, two men went out of the vehicle and stood on the other side of the fence.

In the morning of Tuesday , September 22, between Havat Ma’on and the barns, the army stopped a settler truck and a car to let the children pass. While the kids were waiting, another settler car came towards them at high speed. While the children were running away, a soldier ran towards that car. After that episode, three soldiers walked with the kids. A settler car followed the army escort until the top of the hill and then suddenly pass it. The walking soldiers stopped the car and made the driver get off the vehicle. The settler began to shout and yell against them and the children. The soldiers calmed him down and then let him go.

At-Tuwani school patrol log – September 2011