Emergency Request From Umm al-Khair, Occupied Palestine

[Alan Batten]

Umm al-Khair is a Palestinian village located in the Hebron Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the southern West Bank. Recently, two settlers from a nearby town drove an excavator into the village and began to destroy the piping for the village water supply. A large crowd of village residents and international solidarity activists confronted them and tried to stop the excavator. One settler started firing into the crowd. One of the bullets hit Awdah Hathaleen who was standing (and photographing) some distance away, killing him. 

There are Fairbanksans who have spent time on the West Bank and who knew and loved Awdah. He was a profoundly generous man, a born diplomat, who was instrumental in bringing justice-oriented Israelis, international observers, and Palestinians together to work toward justice and peace on the West Bank. He has four children, the youngest not yet one year old. His wife is now a widow, with few economic resources available. The man who murdered Awdah was subjected to a few days of house arrest and then released with no charges advanced. Upon his release from house arrest he brought his excavator back to the village and finished his work of destroying the water system. More details can be found here.

That was July 28. Rob Mulford visited the West Bank a few years ago and spent a week of that time in and around Umm al-Khair. He has been closely following recent events in Palestine. He knew Awdah and is in contact with people in the village. He recently received an emergency request from friends in the village, stating that they have been advised by the Israeli government that their village is scheduled for demolition. That call for help is copied in the cell phone screen shot in the attachment to this message. The villagers are asking for people all over the world to use whatever means are possible to demand that the Israeli government stop demolition and settler violence in Umm al-Khair.

Some contacts: Israeli Consulate, San Francisco: 415-844-7500
                            Israeli Consulate, Washington DC: 202-364-5500

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