“Israeli” police refuses to file Palestinians complaints

"Israeli" police have refused to file a complaint by Palestinian villagers who say "Israeli" settlers destroyed two of their houses under construction.

The villagers from the At-Tuwani village in the southern Al-Khalil (Hebron) hills said on September 22 that settlers from the illegal settlements of Ma'om and its offshoot Havat Ma'on destroyed two of the six houses they are building on privately-own Palestinian land.

The village lies in the zone classified as 'Zone C' where according to the Oslo Accords, this zone is under complete "Israeli" control. Therefore, Palestinian police cannot be available in that area to protect the Palestinian civilians from the frequent settler attacks.

The Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) issued a press release saying that this is not the first time the villagers from the southern Al-Khalil hills have been subjected to "Israeli" settlers' aggression. Another partly-constructed house was destroyed on the night of July 16.

The CPT statement also said that on July 20, 2009, the "Israeli" military delivered stop work orders on the houses and two other structures, including a cistern. Demolition orders followed on September 13 and the families fear the "Israeli" military will soon destroy the houses.

The "Israeli" military presently restricts Palestinian construction in that area while the "Israeli" settlers are building new houses on occupied Palestinian land, expanding a settlement that is already illegal.

So far, international pressure has failed to force "Israel" to stop building new settlements in the occupied West Bank, in violation of the international law.