Mozbah Zatari, shortly after the attack, being carried to the ambulanceTonight at 6pm a mob of 20 settlers from the Kiryat Arba settlement near Al Buwayra, Hebron, attacked the Palestinian family of Mozbah Zatari while they were in their car. According to the family and witnesses, they had just parked their car when the settlers swarmed around the car and broke windows with stones. Mozbah Zatari, his mother, and his two sons (ages 4 and 6) were in the car and all were hurt by stones thrown into the car. Mozbah Zatari was injured on his leg by a stone and taken to the hospital.
This is not the first time the Zatari family has been attacked and hurt: they’ve been attacked many times as they’re house is the closest in al Buwayre to the illegal settler outpost. According to the family, three nights ago settlers attacked their house by throwing stones at it and breaking windows. The recent increase in settler violence in al Buwayra may be related to the recent demolition by Israeli forces of their illegal outpost near the Kiyrat Arba settlement, though since then the outpost has been rebuilt. Two ISM activists are staying overnight in the village in case there are any more attacks.
Mozbah Zatari, shortly after the attack, being carried to the ambulance
the Zatari family’s damaged car, with windows broken during the attack
Zatari’s six-year-old son, in tears and shock after the attack
17 March 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza
Yasser's bullet woundA young curly-haired boy snores solemnly in a hot room in Al-Shifa hospital in central Gaza City. He lays wrapped in a blanket and is connected to a drip. His brothers and cousins sit around his bed on yet another hospital visit. “This is the life we face as fishermen: the Israeli’s shoot at us daily and injuries are frequent,” says one of the visitors.
Yasser Nasser Bakr, 19 years old, received a bullet in his abdomen on the morning of March 16th, while he was out fishing.
“We went out with a series of small hasakas (traditional fishing boats) at about 5.30 am this morning. At 6:30 AM the Israeli Navy started shooting at us. They shot around us and at the boats for about five minutes. They would stop and open fire again after a while. This was ongoing until Yasser was injured at approximately 10:30 AM,” says his brother who sailed with him. “I was petrified and just wanted one thing: to leave. However, this happens on a daily basis, so we cannot withdraw, we need to continue in these circumstances, otherwise we wouldn’t catch a single fish.”
At 1.5 nautical miles the fishermen met with the Israeli gunboat, which got as close as 30 meters to the fishing boats. “And they speak Arabic very well, insulting us and telling us to ‘get the hell out of of here,’ while we are righteously there according to their laws,” says Yasser’s brother.
Scan of Yasser's upper bodyA boy jumps up and demonstrates how only three days ago he laid down on the deck of the boat protecting his head with his arms after threats of the captain of the gunboat. “He said to us: ‘I’ll kill the child!’, while he was pointing his M16 machine gun to my face!” cries 17 year old Khalil.
Gazan fishermen collectively suffer from Israel’s unilaterally imposed sea blockade of but 3 nautical miles, which cuts them off from the big schools of fish. The Bakr family has more misery accounted to Israel though. On July 5th 2010, Yasser’s brother, Ala’am Bakr was shot while fishing. On September 24th, the Bakr family suffered a tragic loss: Mansour Bakr was killed at sea. Just two months ago, the Navy arrested four members of the Bakr family. While they were released the same day, their boat remains confiscated, leaving these men and their families without income.
More visitors wander into the hospital room to visit Yasser, who wakes up with groans of pain. The fishermen show us videos of how they were attacked previously. When asked if they have a message to share with the outside world, they yelled: “We want the sea back, help us open the sea for us again.”
Today the village of Awarta, the Palestinian village located closest to the illegal settlement Itamar which witnessed the murder of an entire settler family this morning, was put under severe military restrictions. According to the village council, 19 people are still in custody after the Israeli military raided the village early this morning. Around 8 am the Israeli military cut off the roads to the village, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. Around 25 people were arrested in total, among them a 14-year-old boy.
When the soldiers entered the houses to arrest people they flipped over furniture, smashed windows, threw sound grenades and shot bullets in the air.
Around 3 pm the soldiers returned a second time to search houses of the families who’s sons had been arrested. They forced the families to stay outside under armed guards for an hour while about 20 soldiers with dogs entered their houses. As they had done in the morning, the soldiers turned the houses completely upside-down, destroying the electricity by cutting the cables to the fuse box, and polluting the drinking water by throwing mud in the water-tanks. Computers and phones were destroyed and money and property were stolen by the soldiers. Once again the soldiers threw sound grenades inside and outside the houses.
While the soldiers were searching the houses, the families, including women and small children, were forbidden to drink or eat.
It has been reported that an 80-year-old woman who suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure was beaten by the soldiers. She was taken to the Rafidia hospital in Nablus.
Around 6 pm the soldiers left the village, but residents of Awarta are scared that settlers will attack again during the night. No one knows if or when the army or the settlers will return to the village.
The families of the men and boys that were arrested do not know where their sons, fathers, and brothers are or when they will come home.
Even though this kind of systematic collective punishment is illegal according to International law, is it frequently used by the Israeli military all over the West Bank and in Gaza.
Soldiers speak to family of the owner of the torched carAt 8 PM tonight Palestinians living in the Tel Rumeida settlement, Hebron, discovered a flaming car parked just outside H2 that had been torched by settlers. They called the fire department, and ISM activists came to document the scene soon after the fire had been put out. No pictures were taken of the car while it was in flames, but witnesses say that earlier today they filmed seven or eight settlers walking up on the hill that appeared to be studying the area.
Hani Abu Haikal and other residents of Tel Rumeida who have previously witnessed the method in which settlers torch cars, say settlers probably dumped lighter fluid on the trunk of the of the car and set it aflame, then broke the windows so that the fire caused an explosion.
The owner of the car is currently in Saudi Arabia on business and his brother was unable to reach him by phone. Shortly after ISM activists arrived, soldiers came to investigate and asked that everyone except the–absent–owner of the car leave. Activists and Palestinians documenting the scene remained despite their insistance.
According to Hani, this is the 7th car to be torched in Tel Rumeida within the last five years. The attack is probably a response to the murder of a settler family in the illegal settlement Itamar in the northern West Bank. Settler groups have accused Palestinians of being responsible for the attack, but the killer has yet to be identified.
Soldiers speak to family of the owner of the torched car
In the afternoon of the 7th of March 2011, villagers from Qusra, south of Nablus, were attacked by settlers from the surrounding illegal outposts who shortly were accompanied by the Israeli army. Thirteen Palestinian men were injured and taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus. Nurses reported that the ambulance staff were prevented from reaching the wounded people.
Several of the victims were seriously injured. Ibrahim Hassan, 15 years old, was shot by a live bullet which entered his back and went through his kidney before it exited. His condition is reported to be stable, but he might loose his kidney. Qaher Oude, 25 years old, was first shot in his left leg and then beaten. The settlers beat him on his upper body with stones and sticks and then used a big stone to completely crush his right leg. He will have his surgery tomorrow.
“I heard that people were injured, so I went there to help them and suddenly I got shot. The settlers came from nowhere.” Said Qaher Oude.
Three farmers were working their land outside the village of Qusra when they were attacked by settlers from the nearby illegal outposts. At 16.30 the village imam called for help for the farmers and the people of the village came to their aid. When villagers arrived four Palestinians were already injured and the Israeli army was there, protecting the settlers. In total, there were about 50 settlers accompanied by the Israeli army. The residents of Qusra reported that the Israeli soldiers did nothing to stop the settler violence, but instead actually took part in the beating and shooting of civilians. Some of the injured people reported they had been shot and beaten by soldiers and some by settlers. “They were shot by Israeli bullets, it’s no difference”. Said one of the villagers.
The stone which crushed a palestinians leg (Photo: Petter Lydén/EAPPI)
Among the injured in Qusra today were people shot by live ammunition and rubber coated steel bullets, people beaten by settlers and soldiers, and people who suffered the asphyxiating effects of gas inhalation.
Qusra with its 4,000 inhabitants is situated 22 km south of the city of Nablus, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Migalim. This is the second serious incident involving violent settlers in Qusra in the last two months.
