October 19, Turmusayya, East Ramallah — Around 50 settlers attacked farmers and their supporters leaving a Palestinian woman as well as a Swedish activist and an Italian activist mildly to severely injured. Settlers also torched five vehicles and damaged others with stones. The attack was carried out under the watch of Israeli soldiers observing from the hilltop overlooking the area.
Palestinians and international activists arrived to the grove to the news that settlers were attacking farmers. The attackers bludgeoned a Palestinian woman, Umm Saleh from al Mughayyer, 52, who was already on the ground after falling while trying to escape. When a Swedish activist, and subsequently an Italian activist, tried to get the settler attention away from the woman, they were both beaten.
Umm Saleh was taken to Istishari Hospital in Ramallah and diagnosed with intracranial haemorrhage after suffering two baton blows to the head. She also suffered more minor injuries from blows to her back. The Swedish activist was hit on his head, requiring stitches, and also has a crack on his humerus and swelling on his body. The Italian activist was left with mild injuries to his head.
After the attack, some Palestinian farmers, together with solidarity activists, didn’t withdraw and managed to harvest their olives. In the meantime, 7 settlers stole Palestinian olives in a nearby field under the supervision of the army. Farmers had been attacked the day before in the same grove.
The Swedish activist said: “At this moment [the attack on the Palestinian woman] I felt that I could not watch, and I decided to get the attention of the settler because otherwise I didn’t know what would happen to this woman. I got some minor injuries myself, but I really don’t think they can be compared to the injuries that Palestinians suffer every day that this occupation goes on just for living their life, just for existing.”
The Swedish activist has been to the West Bank before to support Palestinian popular resistance through protective presence, but says that the violence has escalated even more than previous years. “This has to stop, it cannot continue anymore. The Palestinians deserve the peace and quiet that everyone else deserves. Palestinians are grateful for our support and hope that we will take the struggle back to our country and tell the story to let our society know that there is an apartheid still existing here in Palestine. Palestinians are the ones we should listen to.”
The Italian activist said: “It’s really important to come here to support the communities because there is not an international focus on the apartheid system. The Italian government is complicit in this harassment and stealing of Palestinian land. It does not stop agreement with the Israeli government, it does not condemn the crimes of the Israeli gov and does not recognise the genocide that has been happening for 80 years in Palestine. “
