Thirty Zionist Israelis drove to the illegal outpost just after lunch. I was told they were on a tour, a sick kind of tour, to celebrate how much land the settlers have stolen and to see the land they intend to steal soon. A new outpost is establishing half a kilometer away from the house of the family I am staying with. It is in the form of a white semi truck.
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Since I arrived two months ago, the bus outpost down the road had already connected electricity and acquired and filled two large water tanks. They are also building a structure to the side that the Zionist tourists gathered around. When I asked what it was for, a brother informed me it was a stable for sheep, but I am not sure if he meant metaphorically since it seems to me to be for human use.
After the tourists left, a settler shepherd arrived and grazed his flock over the family’s barley field which they have not been able to harvest due to threats of violence. All we can do is watch and film and hope that our footage can someday be used to build a case against them.
Today we learned some good news; the UK foreign secretary announced sanctions on four settlers as well as the extremest right-wing group called Hilltop Youth, whose stated mission is to forcefully expel every Palestinian from the Occupied Territories.
Gil Naveh, the Senior Communications Officer of the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, wrote that the sanctions would include the following:
Asset freeze: An asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person. It also prevents funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person. UK financial sanctions apply to all persons within the territory and territorial sea of the UK and to all UK persons, wherever they are in the world.
Travel ban: A travel ban means that the designated person is an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971, and must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom (and any leave given to a person who is an excluded person is invalid).”
It is not as robust of a response as the settlers deserve but it is a small step towards justice.
Some happy moments in between the terrible and terrifying:
