Oct. 28, 2002
Israeli arrested for attacking olive harvesters near Kfar Tapuah
By TOVAH LAZAROFF


An Israeli was arrested Monday for attacking olive harvesters near Kfar Tapuah, according to police spokesman Gil Kleiman. In addition, three Israelis arrested Sunday for allegedly stealing olives from Palestinians near Bracha were released on bail, Kleiman said. 

Monday's attack was the second this week. On Sunday near Khirbet Yanun, settlers attacked eight olive harvesters, injuring four foreign observers, two Israelis, and two Palestinians. No arrests were made. 

Kleiman said that police in Judea and Samaria have increased patrols in troubled areas. 

Ezra Rosenfeld, a spokesman for the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, said the council's leadership condemns unwarranted attacks against Palestinians and their property for whatever reason. "The political differences of opinion which we have with the Palestinians over whose land this is and what kind of autonomy or state there will or won't be in this area are irrelevant to the issue at hand," he said. 

Palestinians have a right to harvest their olives, Rosenfeld said. 

Rains Rouner, a writer and social worker from the US, who came here this month to help the olive harvesters, said he has been staying in the Palestinian town of Jamin since Thursday. He has witnessed a number of attacks and had stones thrown at him by settlers. 

On Monday, he said, he was picking olives with a small group of Palestinians when a number of settlers arrived. Rouner said he recognized one of them from a previous encounter. 

"They walked right up to us. I extended my hand. They asked where I was from. I said I was from the US. One of them said he was from Russia." One of them had a video camera and was filming the exchange, Rouner said. 

One of the settlers said that this is Jewish land and the Arabs had no right to be here, Rouner said. 

"I contradicted them and said that the Palestinians owned the trees and had a right to harvest their crops," Rouner said. 

He added that he took out his own video camera, and at that point, the settlers became aggressive. 

The settlers got upset and starting pushing him, Rouner said. He tried to put the camera back. The settler tried to grab it, and at the same time, kicked him in the stomach. Only once Rouner managed to put the camera away did the settlers calm down. They spoke for 15 minutes. "I tried to reach for as much common ground as possible," Rouner said. After a bit the settlers became aggressive again and warned them to leave the area. Then they left. Rouner said he called the police. 

But Palestinians aren't always the victims, said a resident of the small settlement of Adayad. Last week, a series violent clashes between Palestinians and settlers took place near his home. The man said he has been frustrated reading accounts of settlers attacking Palestinians and stealing their olives. He feared giving his name because he didn't want trouble with the police. But in his case, he said, the story was exactly the reverse. 

Palestinians have been stealing olives from trees belonging to his settlement. "Day after day, we go to the fields and tell them to leave," he said. Last week, he said, he and another man had gone to tell to Palestinians to leave their trees alone. He was briefly by himself in the field. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by 20 Palestinians. Some kicked or punched him. Others cheered. A few of the attackers tried to grab the knife in his pocket and use it against him. 

"These people were trying to kill me," he said. 

The second settler returned and was attacked while trying to rescue him. Two others also arrived. Luckily the police arrived, but when they did, they acted as if he was the bad guy, the man said. He added that his camera, watch, cellphone, and sunglasses were stolen. 

"The whole world looks at us as if we are evil, but we are just trying to survive here. This is our land. We have the oldest deed in the world," he said.