Army Holds Training In Palestinian Villages In Hebron

Tuesday January 29, 2013 11:32 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

A week ago Monday, the Israeli army started drills using live ammunition in several Palestinian villages in the southern West bank city of Hebron. The training was held despite a preliminary High Court ruling preventing the army from conducting training near Palestinian civilian areas.

Activesrill.org File - A child from the village of Khirbet at Tabban climbs the steps outside of his tent home

Residents of Janba, Tabban and Al-Markaz, south of Hebron, filed an appeal to the Israeli court demanding it to issue a ruling against the drills, and asking the court to charge the army with contempt of court for violating its previous ruling.

Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the military drills in the Palestinian villages, come despite the preliminary court ruling that was issued on January 16, ordering the army not to evict the Palestinians from their homes and villages, and to refrain from conducting training in populated areas.

Attorney Shlomo Lecker, of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, filed an appeal to the Israeli High Court asking it to demand Israel Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, to ensure that the army does not violate the court ruling, and to ensure no military drills are held near the villages.

But the Israeli military issued a statement claiming that the training “is being held in an area dubbed as Fire Zone 918 in compliance with Israeli laws”. The villages are not recognized by Israel.

But the villages confirmed that the military activities are being held in close proximity to their dwellings and tents, in lands planted with barely.

The villagers are farmers and shepherds, and the Israeli drills are directly impacting their daily lives, and preventing them from feeling safe in their own homes and villages.

The army also dug tunnels and holes for training purposes, an issue that made it difficult for the residents to enter their own villages.

The villagers also fear for the lives of their children who live in fear due to the ongoing sounds of live ammunition used by the army during training.

hebron | human rights | news report saed at imemc dot org