1 August 2009 South West Bank
Ta’ayush joined the Christian Peacemaker Team to help accompany children to school near the southern West Bank village of Tuwani. Children from nearby villages such as Tuba attend school in Tuwani which means that they have to walk close to the illegal settlement of Havat Maon. In recent years, the settlers have taken over the main Palestinian road that connects the villages, forcing the children to hike up and down grueling gorges. If that is not enough, the settlers have routinely attacked the children leading the IDF at the bequest of the Israeli High Court to provide physical protection to the school children. What could be more surreal! The IDF has to protect Palestinian school children from Jewish settlers.
Often the IDF does not show up to protect the children because of ‘prior engagements’. Members of the Christian Peacemaker Team often take their place, sometimes at the price of extreme physical violence from the settlers of Havat Maon.
On Saturday, Ta’ayush joined the CPT on the convoy. As is the case when the IDF is not present, the settlers approached the children. The adults did not come close, choosing to take a backseat and let their children take up the stone throwing and curses. Children literally not yet old enough to read and write have already been taught that violence is not only OK, but encouraged. But this does not make it into mainstream Western media.
#1 by Joel on August 2nd, 2009
Omg. Look at the parent in the background passively encouraging the children to throw stones. This is so disturbing.
#2 by Craig on August 2nd, 2009
This suggests that the next generation of Israelis will be worse (more violent, and more stupid about it) than the current generation. How long can Israel survive if it encourages this sort of moral degeneration among its own children?
#3 by Amanda on August 2nd, 2009
Just Terrible.. Are there incidents documented of when the IDF has claimed to be too busy to escort the children, and evidence available of wounds inflicted? …good case to bring back to court for lack of enforcement!
#4 by Amanda on August 2nd, 2009
ps- I dont mean to question what’s happening.. so sad.
#5 by Herbert Kaine on August 5th, 2009
I am wondering whether this film is authentic. I am puzzled by the small child wearing a Tallis. Normally, a Talllis is worn by an adult after marriage. There is no reason for a small child to wear a Tallis and get it dirty, unless it was being used to make a movie by those ignorant of Jewish culture. I recommend that you go back to the drawing board and start again. Even if this was real (which I doubt), I could say-its just stones, like you say in Bilin when you throw stones at soldiers
#6 by Noor al Haqiqa on August 8th, 2009
#5 can wonder all he wants. From what I have seen of the Settlers over the past few years, one small detail does not eliminate the truth of these creatures.
However, your inane comment about the stones, vs guns, cannons, tear gas, etc etc does display your ignorance. What are stones from a beleaguered tortured and starved people against such weapons?
No I realize you are Zionist and incapable of seeing things from an overall innate sense of the human spirit.