PB went to Hebron for work, and it was everything I had heard – and worse. They say the soldiers/border patrol etc in Hebron are some of the worst in the West Bank. I can believe it. Their treatment of children and others beggars belief. They search the bags of little girls and boys on their way to school in a harsh and violent manner. They threatened to beat a Palestinian colleague of mine if she repeated her ‘mistake’ of taking photos where ‘Arabs are not allowed to take photos’. They harassed people going in and out of the Old City (if they let them in at all). But none of this compares to the fact that they beat the girls of Kurtuba school as they returned from a school outing. IDF and Border Patrol laying into little girls, beating and kicking – what a way to ‘defend’ a country. We took statements from the girls and their headmistress, we had been with them earlier in the day, and I have no doubt the event took place. I also have no doubt that a settler girl who could not have been more than 2 threw a stone at a teacher of Kurtuba as the teacher and her students left their school. She was defended in her right to this by 5 soldiers. I was there for that one. I have photos of the child as she is standing back after her moment of fun.

I also have photos of settler boys who threw water and grit at myself and my colleagues in the Old City (luckily not old cooking oil which is also thrown). Protected behind fences, razor wire, and by the army, these children did not show hatred for Palestinians, they showed contempt. I find that more frightening. I cannot express what I feel for parents who bring their children up to act in this way.

I know that what I witnessed in Hebron was only a tiny, and tame, example of what goes on there every day. I commend the TIPH, and volunteers such as the Ecumenical Accompaniers, and the Christian Peace Teams (two of whose members were severely attacked south of Hebron) who monitor and report on the situation. The girls at Kurtuba rely on the EAs for protection and told us of hiding behind them when they were attacked (if they were lucky enough to be near an EA at the time).

I know that the girls who continue to go to school at Kurtuba, and their teachers, are courageous examples of passive resistance to occupation and overwhelming settler violence (they are attacked on their departure from school regularly, and often not by tiny people like the 2 year old above).

Vehicular access to Hebron was closed to Palestinians whilst we were there. We climbed sand blocks to get into the city (the whole city, not just the Old City). The bridge between Halhoul and Hebron was blocked, and we also climbed up sand blocks and down huge holes to get to Halhoul.

Closure of cities, sealing in and restriction of movement, together with violence against a civilian population at the hands of settlers and security forces. Very few rulers would publicly try to justify such acts. Israel’s rulers do, and they continue to be allowed to. I wonder why?