Spring Peace Team 05 Report "Poisoned Sheep"

Spring Peace Team 05 Report "Poisoned Sheep"

April 5, 2005
by Kim (MPT member, mother of four)

Hello All,

It is quite late and before packing up to leave Jerusalem tomorrow, we thought
we would give you an overview of our day.

Early this morning, our team traveled south to Hebron where we joined men, women, and children from the small farming villages of Tuwani and Al Mufaqa along with many internationals at a press conference and
demonstation in Hebron sponsored by the PA in response to the poisoning of
sheep owned by the shepherds of the two Palestinian villages mentioned above on March 22, 2005. The poisonous seeds were deposited by Israeli settlers from the settlement of Ma'on under bushes and trees in the fields resulted in the death of 19 sheep and the poisoning of 76 others that are struggling to survive.

The poison was examined by Birzeit University Environment's Occupational Health Sciences to determine its type and to address the poison's symptoms. After the tests were conducted, it was concluded that the type of poison used was 2-Fluoroacetamide, a very toxic material (50 mg or 3 seeds is enough to kill an adult sheep) that can only be purchased with the exclusive permission of the
Israeli government.

The area around Hebron is breathtaking - lush, hilly, and very green. Many of
the villagers in the affected areas live in caves with no electricity and
depend on shepherding to survive. They also live in the shadow of an extremist
outpost settlement called Havat Ma'on, a small but very aggressive settlement
peopled with hostile and ideologically-driven settlers. Recently, villagers and
international activists have been the target of increasingly violent actions
instigated by settlers.

At today's press conference, the entire village of Tuwani and several of the men
from AlMufaqa presented their testimony to the press regarding the sheep
poisoning. Upon our arrival to the Governor's Office in Hebron, we were
greeted by beautiful children, old women, mothers, and fathers standing outside
the building bearing signs in English and Arabic reading: "Our Children Need
Milk, Not Poison" and "Poisoning Sheep Poisons Peace" as well as several other
thoughtful slogans. While John went upstairs to film the press conference,
Twyla, Elyssa, and I sat outside in the warm sun and practiced our Arabic with
some of the children who were equally interested in practicing their English
while Henry played catch with a large group of boys. This also gave us an
opportunity to talk with several internationals who supported the press
conference and the march including members of the International Solidarity
Movement, Christian Peacemaker Team, Operation Dove, Friends Service Committee, and the Ta-ayosh Movement.

After the press conference, we all boarded two buses bound for the Kiryat Arba
Police station that overlooks the large, extremist Kiryat Arba settlement that
has recently been responsible for beating and injuring a number of
internationals. As we marched up the steep hill to the station, the children
and women of Tuwani led the way with their signs and banners. One of the men
brought along the poison pellets to deliver to the authorities who have failed
to investigate the poisonings. As we stood outside the gate of the police
station, we were soon greeted by 7 or 8 soldiers who pointed their guns
menacingly at this peaceful crowd. Overall, however, the tone was fairly
relaxed and eventually a sort of celebratory atmosphere prevailed as cookies
and ice cream were shared, children played ball, and young girls posted signs
on the fence repeatedly after soldiers tore them down.

Eventually, a local farmer who was being held without charges was released and
CPTers were brought forth to offer evidence about the accusation made by
settlers that a farmer had thrown rocks at settlers.

It was a long but wonderful day. The local villagers are reported to be
organizing among themselves and the triumphant spirit of a community coming
together in nonviolent protest was heartening.