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Tel Rumeida: Breaking and Entering Palestinian Homes

By The ISM Media Team

On June 22nd, 2007 at about 6:30 pm two international human rights workers were walking up the stone staircase past the graffittied house on which is written “Watch out Fatima will rape all Arab Woman,” signed by JDL (Jewish Defense League).

The HRWs noticed that the gate door had been crowbarred open and they entered the area to see if any settlers or soldiers were inside. They found that the house had been slept in, and that there were mats on the floor. In the same room there was some feces on the floor. No one was present in the home.

When the HRWs left they tried to close the door but it was too bent, by a crowbar, to close so they left it open. The HRWs later informed a Palestinian human rights worker about this incident, and he said he would inform the owner of the home.

The next day at about 3:00pm, June 23rd (Saturday), three HRWs were walking by the same house and again entered the area. The house was the same as the day before though on this day there were a group of Palestinian children playing next door.
The HRWs innitially assumed that the house had been entered by soldiers as had happened on many previous occasions about a year earlier. They asked the children about the entry into the home and if it was solders that had entered.

The children responded, however, that it was Israeli settlers that had entered the home two days before. It was difficult to determine exactly when the settlers entered the home, or for how long, since the HRWs could not speak good Arabic.

The house will be monitored closely until the owner of the home can make sure to secure his home.