Al-Mughayir: Settlers enter village groves and attack families
On 29 March 2020, around 3:30 P.M., three families from the village of al-Mughayir met in a-Dhahrat, north of the village, to have a picnic in the olive groves. The settlement outpost of Adei Ad was built about five kilometers from there. Just after they parked and got out of their cars, the families saw seven settlers, armed with clubs and knives, coming towards them from the settlement.
Two of the families managed to flee in the tractor cart of a farmer who was passing by. The settlers started hurling stones at the car of the remaining family, Anwaar (27) and Munzar (34) Abu ‘Alia and their two children, while they were standing next to it. Anwaar, who is four months pregnant, fled on foot at her husband’s insistence. The settlers continued to hurl stones at the car, slashed its tires with knives and demanded the keys from Munzar. When he refused, they grabbed them by force. Abu ‘Alia and his two children fled the scene on foot, leaving car and mobile phone behind. The settlers started to chase them. Abu ‘Alia responded by throwing stones to fend them off and protect his children.
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A-Tuwani, South Hebron Hills: Settlers invade village property and in ensuing confrontation, soldiers fire tear gas and arrest 3 residents
On 28 March 2020, three residents of a-Tuwani passed southwest of the Havat Ma’on outpost on their way to Khirbet-a-Tuba. When they were about two kilometers from their village, settlers attacked them with stones. The three ran back towards the village calling residents, who met them halfway there. The residents and the settlers threw stones at each other. About a half an hour later, soldiers arrived and dispersed the crowd.
Around an hour later, several settlers approached the area of al-Humrah, south of a-Tuwani, which belongs to village residents. A-Tuwani residents came to drive them out and mutual stone-throwing ensued. Soldiers arrived at the scene and fired tear-gas canisters at the residents, who were on their own property, and arrested three of them. Two of the detainees were released the next day, after one had to post a bond of 1,000 NIS (~280 USD). The third is still in custody.
Tel Rumeidah neighborhood, Hebron: Settler steals security camera from Palestinian home
On 28 March, Walid Abu ‘Eishah was woken by a noise outside and found his security cameras gone. B’Tselem had installed them 11 years ago after the family home was repeatedly attacked by settlers from the surrounding settlement of Tel Rumeidah/Yishay.
On the recorded footage, Abu ‘Eishah saw a man standing on a ladder dismantling the cameras and stealing them – and then, of course, the video went blank. He reported the theft to soldiers patrolling the street, who called an officer there. The officer claimed he would check military cameras for footage but has yet to notify Abu ‘Eishah of any findings. Although the area is covered by military security cameras, the material they capture is rarely used to enforce the law on settlers.
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A-Tuwani, South Hebron Hills: Armed settlers set dogs on shepherd
On Friday afternoon, 27 March 2020, a resident of a-Tuwani was grazing his flock between the village and the Havat Ma’on outpost. About six settlers arrived, some of them armed, along with two dogs, and tried to drive him away. The shepherd called other residents, who began documenting the attack.
A verbal argument ensued that quickly turned physical. One of the settlers pushed a resident who was filming the incident, knocking him to the ground. A dog then bit him in the arm and abdomen, and the settlers stole his phone and fled. The resident was taken by ambulance to a medical clinic in Yatta, where he was treated and given a rabies shot.
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‘Einabus: Settlers attack homes in northern part of village
On Wednesday afternoon, 25 March 2020, some 40 settlers tried to enter the northern part of the village of ‘Einabus. Some residents noticed them and alerted the neighborhood by loudspeaker. Residents gathered to defend their homes and a confrontation ensued, which developed into mutual stone-throwing. After about a half an hour, a group of soldiers arrived from the direction of the settlement of Yitzhar, which lies three kilometers from the village. The soldiers removed the settlers from the scene only at sundown. The residents of ‘Einabus have been suffering repeated attacks by settlers for some time.
‘Einabus, Nablus גistrict, 25 March 2020: Settlers attack homes in northern part of village.
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Burqah: Settlers throw stones at resident and his home and destroy fence
In the early afternoon of 24 March 2020, about 30 settlers entered the neighborhood of Bab al-Wad in the northeastern part of the village of Burqah. The evacuated settlement of Homesh lies about three kilometers away. The settlers, at least four of whom had guns, destroyed a fence surrounding a home under construction and threw stones at the owner, Muhannad Yasin, 46, as he tried to protect his property. The same house was attacked by settlers a week prior. Local residents arrived to help Yasin fend off the settlers. Several calls were made to the Israeli DCO, but two hours passed before DCO personnel arrived with a military jeep escort, only to do nothing but watch the altercation from afar. They retreated about 15 minutes after they arrived, with the settlers in tow. Of course, none of the settlers were arrested.
Burqah, Nablus District, 24 March 2020: Settlers throw stones at resident and his home and destroy fence.
Um Safa: Settler invades village grove with herd and others attack locals who attempt to drive him away, striking one in the head and causing a skull fracture
On the morning of Friday, 24 March 2020, a settler led a herd of 50 cows into an olive grove in the western part of the village of Um Safa, near the bypass road that leads to the settlement of Halamish. Eight village residents, including Deputy Council Head Naji Tanatrah, 45, arrived to drive the settler out of the private grove. This is not a singular occurrence; the man repeatedly invades the grove with his cattle herd.
The residents approached the settler, and the deputy council head asked him to remove his herd. The settler began to retreat, and the locals began shooing away the cows. At that point, two vehicles arrived with five armed settlers inside – at least one of them carried a gun and the rest had axes and clubs. The settlers came out of the cars and one of them hit Tanatrah on the head. He fell down, bleeding. The settlers kept beating Tanatrah and kicking him as he lay on the ground. The other villagers managed to pull Tanatrah away and evacuate him in a car. He was put into an ambulance and taken to a Ramallah hospital, where he had head surgery after being diagnosed with a skull fracture.
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‘Ein al-Hilweh: Settlers attack cattle herders, injuring one
On the morning of 23 March 2020, Mahib Daraghmeh, 32, and his two brothers went out to graze the family’s cattle herd east of ‘Ein al-Hilweh, in the northern Jordan Valley. Settlers who were also herding cows nearby approached, and six of them threw stones at the brothers from a high site overlooking the field. The settlers then approached further, some on foot and some in an ATV. Two brothers escaped, but the settlers grabbed hold of Mahib before he managed to escape himself. They threw him to the ground, and one settler pulled out his gun and aimed it at his face. The settlers hit and kicked Mahib all over his body until he nearly lost consciousness.
At that point, the head of security for the settlement of Maskiyyot arrived, along with a military jeep with four soldiers inside. When the soldiers came out of the jeep, the settlers stopped beating Mahib and backed away from him a little, while shouting at him and mocking him. As the bruised Mahib was lying on the ground, the settlers joked around with the soldiers, none of whom bothered to offer Mahib any assistance.
Silat a-Dhahr: Settlers attack farmers and security forces
On Monday, 23 March 2020, at around noon, brothers ‘Adnan and Husni al-Qadi, 73 and 70 respectively, drove from their homes in the village of Silat a-Dhahr in Jenin District to their plot, which is located near the area once occupied by the settlement of Homesh. The settlement was evacuated as part of the “disengagement plan” in 2005. In the last two years, the two brothers have gone back to cultivating their land after the military granted them permission to access it. When they arrived, before they were able to get out of the car, the brothers came across several settlers who ordered them to keep driving without stopping. They kept driving up the road, where 20 club-wielding settlers were waiting in ambush. The settlers began throwing stones at them. They broke a window and damaged the front bumper. Husni al-Qadi, who was driving, tried to steer away, but found himself on a hilly dirt road and was unable to drive on. The two got out of the car and fled on foot, under a barrage of stones, to the nearby village of Burqah. As they were fleeing, a stone hit ‘Adnan al-Qadi’s neck, injuring him.
When the two managed to return home, they reported the attack to the Palestinian DCO, following which two representatives of the Israeli DCO came to the village, picked up the brothers and took them to where they had left their car. When they arrived, the settlers attacked the military and DCO vehicles. Instead of arresting them, the forces chose to simply leave. Later, village residents managed to tow the car, using a tractor, to the village of Burqah, and Israeli police officers who arrived there took photos of it and asked the al-Qadi brothers to file a complaint at the Ariel police station. The brothers filed the complaint.
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Burqah: Settlers attack home with stones and damage property
On 19 March 2020, about 50 settlers threw stones at a home under construction in the Bab al-Wad neighborhood, located in the northeastern part of the village. The home belongs to Muhannad Yasin, 46. The settlers broke about 40 young fruit trees Yasin had planted in his yard about two years ago, damaged a 1.5-cubic-meter water tank and cut pipes running from the tank into taps inside the house. The settlers damaged a water tank in a neighboring house, as well.
The homeowner contacted the Palestinian DCO, which informed the Israeli DCO, but no one came. The owner says he feels as though the Israelis are ignoring his pleas and giving the settlers free rein to attack village residents.
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‘Ein a-Duyuk al-Foqa: Settlers attack shepherds and drive them off pastureland
On 16 March 2020, Muhammad Rashaydah, 63, from ,’Ein a-Duyuk al-Foqa, set out to graze his flock west of the village. Other men and women from the area were also grazing their flocks in the vicinity. After about an hour, a car arrived with two settlers. One of them, Omer Atidiya, built a farm in the area. The settlers shouted at the shepherds, threatened them and chased the sheep. Atidiya shouted at the female shepherds that this was his land and demanded they leave. The settlers drove in between the animals, and the shepherds had to leave with their flocks.
This is not unusual. Residents of the village, who make their living from shepherding, suffer harassment and violence at the hands of settlers on an almost daily basis. Settlers attack them with stones, with their vehicles and even with drones, and drive them off their pastureland. Settlers also discard sheep carcasses near the community, creating severe odor pollution and a sanitation hazard.
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Huwarah: Settlers damage heavy equipment
Shortly after midnight on 15 March 2020, about ten settlers went into a lot in the southern part of the village of Huwarah, where heavy equipment belonging to ‘Abdallah ‘Odeh, a local resident, was parked. The settlement of Yitzhar is located about a kilometer away. The settlers broke windows and slashed the tires of 12 bulldozers and other heavy machinery, causing an estimated 40,000 NIS (~11,170 USD) worth of damage.
Huwarah, Nablus District, 15 March 2020: Settlers damage heavy equipment.
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Waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of stones shattering your windows
On 12 March 2020, at around 1:00 A.M., villagers from ‘Einabus woke up to a terrifying sound: stones flying everywhere. Some shattered windows in the homes of the Hamad and Rashdan families. A parked car was also pelted with stones.
The homes that were attacked lie in al-Biada, in the western part of ‘Einabus. The settlement of Yitzhar was built two kilometers away from the neighborhood. The victims manage to catch a glimpse of their attackers – about twenty settlers who fled in the direction of the settlement.
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Huwarah: With military protection, settlers throw stones at Palestinian homes, breaking windows
On Wednesday, 11 March 2020, soldiers closed the Huwarah checkpoint and a section of Route 60 (the Yitzhar Road) for Palestinian traffic for about two hours starting at 11:00 A.M. After the closure, about 25 settlers gathered in the traffic circle at the turn-off into Yitzhar, with a military escort. The settlers threw stones at village houses near the area, breaking windows of one house and of three parked cars.
Huwarah, Nablus District, 11 March 2020: With military protection, settlers throw stones at Palestinian homes, breaking windows.
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Red Line?
On Tuesday, 10 March 2020, two residents of Turmusaya – Musa Abu ‘Awwad and his Son-in-law, Tareq a-Rifa’i – were driving on a dirt road that leads to their village. Tareq’s two-year-old twins, Adam and Nur, were in the car with them. When they were not far from the outpost of Adei Ad, three settlers drove up behind them on motorcycles, overtook the car and blocked their way.
The settlers dismounted and approached the car, yelling in Hebrew and Arabic: “Why are you here? What are you doing here? We’ll shoot you and your children!” They demanded to see the passengers’ ID cards and, after a verbal exchange, Abu ‘Awwad and a-Rifa’i handed them over. When they tried to get the cards back, the settlers were slow to return them and a loud altercation ensued, waking the twins, who began crying.
Burin: Settlers attack home; soldiers protect them and fire tear gas at residents
Some 10 settlers, accompanied by about five soldiers, damaged a house under construction owned by Muntasser Mansur, on the eastern side of the village. The settlers vandalized three exterior walls of the house, broke sewage pipes and scattered cement sacks - all under the protection of soldiers, who fired tear-gas canisters at residents trying to protect the house. The damage caused by the settlers was estimated at 2,000 NIS (~560 USD).
Mansur’s house has been attacked and damaged by settlers several times. The Civil Administration has tried to prevent Mansur from building it and has given him several stop-work injunctions, although the house lies in Area B, where the Palestinian Authority holds planning jurisdiction and has given Mansur a building permit.
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A-Nu'eimeh: Settler attacks shepherds
On 8 March 2020, Musa Zeid (25) set out from a-Nu’eimeh with his brothers and sisters to graze their flock not far from the village. They were accompanied by activists from the Solidarity movement. A settler has taken over hundreds of hectares nearby and built an outpost named Havat Omer. As the shepherds were grazing their flock, the settler arrived and started to chase them with his truck, shouting and threatening to run over the flock. Luckily, the shepherds and the activists managed to escape unharmed.
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Burin: Settlers attack home at edge of village, soldiers open live fire at occupants
On Saturday, 7 March 2020, at around midday, ‘Ali ‘Eid (16) and his brother Osama (20) were at home on the eastern side of the village. Suddenly, about eight settlers started throwing stones at the house, shattering two windows and a security camera. The home is a target as it lies on the outskirts of the village, about a kilometer from the settlement of Har Bracha and the outpost of Giv’at Sneh Ya’akov, and about two kilometers from the settlement of Yitzhar. When the settlers started to withdraw, Ali opened a window to see what was going on. In response, a soldier fired a stun grenade at him. Village residents then gathered around the house to check on ‘Ali and his brother. The two climbed up to the roof to reassure the residents they weren't injured. When the soldiers noticed them, they began firing live rounds at them, and also fired tear-gas canisters and stun grenades at the residents gathered around the house. ‘Ali and his brother went back into the house, fortunately unharmed.
Madama: Settlers attack home, soldiers fire live rounds in the air and tear-gas canisters at residents
On 7 March 2020, about 15 settlers, including the armed chief of security of Yitzhar, entered the village of Madama and started hurling stones at houses. Residents who heard the commotion went outside to see what was happening. As in other cases, some 15 soldiers summoned there began firing live rounds in the air and tear-gas canisters at the residents who had gathered to defend their homes.
In a verbal exchange that ensued, the soldiers detained a B’Tselem volunteer who was documenting the incident, confiscated his and another volunteer’s cameras and gave them to Yitzhar’s chief of security, who then erased some footage of the incident. .
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