Nonviolence in the Arena

May/June 2005

At-Tuwani: Shepherds and Nonviolence

By Art Gish and Christian Peacemaker Teams Reports

Things are different now in At-Tuwani. For the past five years, shepherds from this Palestinian village in the South Hebron Hills have been unable to graze their sheep on much of their land because settlers from the nearby Havat Maon outpost have violently prevented them from doing so. For a long time the shepherds would try, without being seen, to take their sheep to better grass near Israeli settler outposts. If they saw any settlers or soldiers, they immediately ran away with their flocks.

But this past winter, individual shepherds asked for international accompaniment—and accompanying Palestinian herdsmen on their land has become an important part of the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams and Italian-based Operation Dove.

Now shepherds from At-Tuwani are joining together to graze near settlements. Feeling that there is more safety in greater numbers of shepherds and sheep, they are coordinating with shepherds from neighboring village as well. And each day the shepherds inform the CPT team of where they will be congregating, so that the team can have a presence with them.

Over two decades, villagers have suffered various forms of harassment by settlers, with little or no action taken by police. In mid-February of this year, settlers also set upon Operation Dove members and beat two of them—one seriously—for their efforts at accompaniment of the villagers, particularly schoolchildren. The settler attacks brought Israeli peace activists from Ta’ayush to the scene, generating negative publicity for the settlers and the military.

No longer do shepherds run when they see soldiers or settlers.

Each day the drama is repeated. The settlers demand that the soldiers remove the shepherds. The shepherds tell the police and soldiers that they should be able to graze on their own land. They present copies of their deeds to the authorities. The soldiers tell the shepherds they cannot go onto their land. There are often ten soldiers speaking to the shepherds, and about fifteen shepherds and four hundred sheep that ignore the soldiers and simply walk out onto the land. The presence of international observers and sometimes media reduces the power of the soldiers to force the shepherds to obey.

In one action, the shepherds were accompanied by Israeli activists and members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) as well as members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). A military contingent of several jeeps and a large group of soldiers and border police were waiting when the shepherds arrived. Armed with M-16 assault rifles, the soldiers watched from a hill; finally they sent a patrol onto one of the fields. Settlers from the Havat Maon outpost were visibly angered by the accompaniment presence, but were restrained by the military following discussions between soldiers and the Israeli activists.

The shepherds and their flocks were warned off the hill closest to the outpost, but they had gained significant ground. They were thrilled. Now shepherds are grazing their sheep on some of their own land that has been forbidden to them for years. In addition, local farmers and internationals have been able to plant olive trees in fields to which they previously did not have access because of settler harassment. The trees—many of them given by the YMCA in Jerusalem—were planted to begin replacing hundreds that have been uprooted in land seizure attempts.

How can anyone reject the simple idea that shepherds should be out on their own land? And once that idea is accepted, how can Israelis continue confiscating Palestinian land?

According to CPT, Israeli and international activists will continue to maintain a presence in At-Tuwani. They will accompany villagers with the aim of deterring settler violence and also to draw international attention to the issue….which affects other Palestinian villages as well.

The story at At-Tuwani continues to develop. To get on the mailing list for Christian Peacemaker Teams Reports, contact CPT, Box 6508, Chicago, IL 60680-6508. Phone: 773-277-0253. Fax: 773-277-0291. E-mail: peacemakers@cpt.org. Web: www.cpt.org.