U.S. volunteers injured escorting Palestinian children to school

Published: 2004-10-01

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Israeli settlers seriously injured two U.S. Christian peace activists who were escorting Palestinian children to school in the West Bank. Kim Lamberty, 44, of Silver Spring, Md., and Chris Brown, 39, of San Francisco were attacked while walking with five children to a school in al-Tuwani village. Lamberty told Catholic News Service that villagers from al-Tuwani and Tuba asked a coalition of peace activist groups to escort their children to school because the parents are not permitted on the road that leads to the school. "They had been experiencing a lot of harassment and violence from the nearby Ma'on settlement. The parents are afraid to send their children on the road," she said. Lamberty told Catholic News Service that on Sept. 29 they were attacked by five chain-wielding men dressed in black who used scarves to cover their faces. "I didn't see the guy at first, but the girls screamed, and I looked up and saw the guy about 30 feet ahead, dressed all in black ... we could only see his eyes. He was carrying a chain and swinging it in the air. It was so scary," said Lamberty, who was in Jerusalem recuperating from her injuries. She said they tried to run, but were chased down by the man and four others who were hiding in nearby trees. The men let the children go and started attacking the two adults, said Lamberty, former social concerns director at St. John the Baptist Parish in Silver Spring. "I tried to call for help with my cell phone, but they tripped me and threw me down on the ground and started beating me. I could hear them beating Chris, but I couldn't see him," she said. Lamberty suffered a broken arm and injured knee in the attack; Brown suffered a punctured lung, she said.

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