Christian Ecumenical Accompanier Attacked in Hebron, West Bank

A member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) has been attacked by a woman settler in the Tel Rumeida district of Hebron, 23rd June 2006.

|TOP|In the region a scheme has been set up where Christian volunteers accompany children to school. Duduzile Masango, one South African ecumenical accompanier was attacked by an elderly settler woman, who pulled a towel tightly around her head.

The World Council of Churches report that it is not known if the woman intended to suffocate her, but the accompanier had difficulty breathing. Stones were also thrown at Masango and four other internationals who were with her. The incident left her shaken, although she did not need to receive medical treatment.

Reports also suggest that a soldier was also at the scene and did nothing to stop the attack.

Following the attacks, the police were notified, but Masango was told that her testimony was not trustworthy and was abruptly rejected.

Rifat Kassis, EAPPI international programme coordinator, stated: “This is just one in a long line of incidents targeting internationals in Hebron. The WCC continues to advocate that all settlers in Hebron be withdrawn and settler-occupied properties be returned to their Palestinian owners. A letter was sent to the Israeli ambassador in Switzerland in April, following similar incidents. It requested appropriate actions by the Israeli authorities and law enforcement agencies to stop this behaviour toward Palestinians and internationals. The WCC has so far received no response.”

|AD|The latest attack is not an isolated incident. On 1 April 2006, a lawyer from Switzerland was stoned by a young Israeli settler in the same Hebron district, and on 20 April still in Tel Rumeida, a German social worker and a Norwegian sociologist were attacked by some 15 young settlers.

In both cases, the Christian volunteers were escorting Palestinian pupils to their Cordoba Girls School to provide protection from harassment by settlers.

The WCC has presented a formal protest to the Israeli ambassador in Switzerland over these two incidents on 25 April.

Pupils and teachers of the Cordoba Girls School are frequent targets of stone-throwing, kicking and spitting by the settlers, report the WCC.

Coordinated by the WCC, the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) began in 2002, and has deployed nearly 300 accompaniers from 14 countries.

Its purpose is to support Palestinians and Israelis working for peace by monitoring and reporting violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, offering protection by accompanying local communities in daily activities, and by advocating with churches for a peaceful end to the occupation.