"It is a daily onslaught. Every morning, teenage Israeli settlers drive a herd of goats from their outpost in the hills down into the valley towards the Palestinian village of Ras Ein al-Auja. The local men, women and children retreat inside their huts and tents. Any hint of resistance from a Palestinian is likely to bring in the Israeli army or the border police, confiscation of property and disappearance into the maw of administrative detention without trial, for months or years."
"We are a protective presence because we are putting our bodies between the Jewish settlers and the Palestinians. For every defensive move they make, the teenage settler goatherds respond with an offensive counter-move to outflank the village guardians. The boys walk right up to the volunteers until their faces are inches apart, and the latter try to stand their ground, waving their arms and shouting."
Every morning teenage Israeli settlers drive herds of goats from an outpost down into the valley towards the Palestinian village of Ras Ein al-Auja. Local men, women and children retreat into huts and tents. Any hint of Palestinian resistance risks army or border police intervention, confiscation of property and administrative detention without trial for months or years. A small group of volunteers, including Israeli Jews, a Hungarian and an American, form a protective screen around homes to shoo away livestock. Settlers aim to provoke Palestinians; teenage goatherds respond with offensive moves to outflank village guardians. Defenders wear body-cams while goatherds film on phones, creating a tense, strategic confrontation that escalates when the outpost drives larger herds toward the community.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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