What is the bulldozer up to?

I have had the duty to provide protective presence to Yanoun for the day. After my colleagues left, I went to the old ladies next door and had a cup of tea. The ladies are two sisters and their mother, who run the ‘supermarket’ of the village and also seem to be related to everyone in the village. Then the Mayer comes to visit his sisters and mother, and end up chatting with me for half an hour. We talk about the weather, the village, the villagers, the sheep of the village and in particular the newborn lamb born two hours earlier.

Not once does either one of us mention the big yellow beast 300 meters away, as we both remain oblivious due to the steep hill hindering our sight. When my colleagues return back however, it is with pictures and question about what the bulldozer is up to up by the Itamar outpost behind the house. For how long has it been there? What is its purpose?

We decide to climb as close and far up as we are allowed to go before provoking the settlers. With the large binoculars thrown over my shoulder, and a water bottle sticking up from my pocket we attempt to get a better view. The attempt does not yield any results, and the bulldozer is hidden even from this angle. A team assessment of the appropriate approach rules out the possibility of me walking closer so I can view over the rink. Safety and respect for the rules that guides the villagers life and interaction with the settlers, remains our first priority.

Instead we walk to the hill opposite, hoping to gain a clear sight of the bulldozer. On the opposite outpost, further away on hill 777, we however notice further activity.  A crane working is on the electricity poles. At first glance it looks unsuspicious. Yet it could possibly be an indicator of planned expansion of the outpost, preparation for additional caravans. It remains calm, with the usual settler walking around with his machine gun by the grapevines.

We walk home, and wonder: what is the bulldozer up to?

The hill behind Yanoun has been occupied by settlers belonging to the Itamar settlement. There are several organic chicken farms, so this could indicate a new one being built. One of my colleagues met a settler from the area who said that the organic eggs have been in high demand. In particular the organic products are popular among the more liberal people living in Tel Aviv, who ironically represent the same segment of the Israeli population as those opposed to the settlements and outposts.

A helicopter fly by on a low altitude, and we can see it clearly. We can also hear the Israeli air force being active in the Jordan valley. In the last couple of days several demolition orders and cease of cultivation orders have been issued in the area, including a demolition order for a tent by ICRC. Is it all a sign of more pressure on the people in the Jordan valley by Israeli authorities?

I can only speculate on the purpose of the bulldozer, and have no answers for now. All I can report from the region is what I see on the ground, and do my best to get as extensive information as possible. If the bulldozer is up to anything at all, I am obliged to inform you that for the occupying power to change any conditions on the ground is an illegal act according to international humanitarian law. So the bulldozer is in that case, a sign of Israel breaching the Geneva conventions and neglecting the rights of the Palestinian people, and the people of Yanoun.