A truck, carrying water supplied by the international aid organization
Oxfam had been disabled on Tuesday afternoon when it was on the road
entering the village of Suseya near Hebron, local sources in the
village reported.
In a joint press release by Operation Dove and Christian Peacemaker Teams, the two peace organizations who are active in Hebron blamed Israeli settlers for disabling the truck which is the only supply of water for the villages of Suseya and Al-Tuwani.
Dozens of metal spikes had been strewn across the road and caused damage to five tires of the water truck. At-Tuwani residents, who had talked with the driver of the truck, showed members of the peace team three of the spikes, which consist of four prongs of about 3/8 inch diameter and two inches long each, designed so one prong will jut into the air when tossed on a surface. The delivery of the water was delayed while the driver of the truck made repairs to his tires.
Suseya has frequently been the site of incidents of harassment by residents of a nearby Israeli settlement. Residents of At-Tuwani village, who has been frequently subjected to settler attacks, speculated that this was the latest attempt by settlers to force the few remaining Palestinian villagers in Susya from their homes. "Water is very important to the people," he said. "If they have water, they can remain in their homes. If not, they will have to leave." The entire area is suffering from drought this summer, and villages like Suseya and At-Tuwani rely on the trucked-in water for survival.
Since the water truck serves the village according to a regular schedule, it is likely the settlers were aware the truck would have been traveling that road on Tuesday.
