International and Israeli peace activists joined residents from villages near Hebron and Jerusalem to help rebuild homes destroyed or badly damaged by Israeli settlers.
Participants from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and International Human Rights Workers joined Israeli peace activists in building a new roof on a farmer’s home in Sussiya, an agricultural village located in the South Hebron hills, Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported.
The roof had been burned by Israeli settlers from the nearby settlement of the same name. Settler Violence is common in the Hebron area, with extremist settlers often throwing stones at school children, destroying farmer’s crops, and damaging homes.
The family of the burned home had temporarily moved out fear of more settler attacks.
Shortly after participants began laying plastic sheets over the home, Settlers wearing masks came and began verbally and physically abusing the workers, WAFA reported.
One ISM activist was physically assaulted and Israeli soldiers arrived at the request of the settlers.
The Israeli peace activists helping build the roof were able to calm the situation and the group of villagers and internationals successfully replaced the roof with a temporary plastic tarp that will allow the farming family to return home. Charred debris from the fire was also cleared away.
Meanwhile, The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) began rebuilding a demolished home in the village of Anata, near Jerusalem, this week.
ICHAD said in a press release "by this weekend, a group of 30 citizens of the world, each contributing $1000 for the effort, coming from far and wide and all age groups, will have entirely rebuilt within two weeks, not only a home, but a family, a future, a shared reality, a concrete example of what bears fruit between two peoples."
This is the fourth year in a row that ICAHD has hosted a summer rebuilding project.
One group participating is Combatants for Peace (CFP), a group of Palestinians and Israelis who have participated in the military aspect of the Occupation. Many of the Palestinians had been members of Fatah military wing.
The recipients this year is a Hamdan family, who has 17 children.
"ICAHD rebuilding a demolished Palestinian home, an act of civil disobedience and non-violent resistance to occupation which says: "We refuse to be enemies", is a tiny drop in the ocean. In a region without summer rain, except the cynical Summer Rains [Name of the Israeli military wide scale offensive on the Gaza Strip] of missiles and rockets, please join us to acknowledge that drop," a press release from ICAHD said
