Between the 23rd and 30th June, the farmers of the village Awarta, close to Nablus, challenged the threats of violence from settlers by constructing a well on their land close to the illegal settlement of Itamar. International human rights workers (HRW’s) participated in solidarity for the villagers right to reach their land.
The work during the week was successful, though not without provocations from settlers. The army was present the first day but did not stop the work. The night of the 30th of June the workers had their tools stolen and concrete bags destroyed. They, however, managed to finish their work. The farmers are afraid that settlers might destroy their newly built well.
Many of the villagers of Awarta have long time been scared of going to their land close to the Itamar settlement due to settler attacks. Also the Israeli army has stopped them from reaching their land by prohibiting the villagers from using the only available road. The village has had much land stolen from the Itamar settlement. From an original 84 000 dunums, they are left with only 12000. Even to this remaining part of their land they cannot go without risking being forced off by the army or by settler violence.
Two more home-made rockets were launched from the illegal Israeli settlement of Bracha at the Palestinian village of Burin, near Nablus, on Tuesday 1st July.
At 1pm, Jamal Najar, a resident of Burin, was sitting on his veranda when he saw a projectile launched from near the illegal settlement’s mobile phone tower. “It looked like a rocket,” he said. The projectile landed on his land, amongst his olive trees, just 150m from his house, 75m from his neighbour’s house. After two minutes a second one followed, coming from the same direction. “The rockets made a loud sound, and a small fire. They made a lot of smoke,” he described.
Mr Najah went to investigate, and found the two projectiles, which indeed were home-made rockets made from aluminium pipes – one approximately 20cm long, the other approximately 30cm – without any writing. “Not made in USA,” he joked. “Made in Bracha.” He described them as being pipes without heads, but closed in on both ends, with a small hole on either end. He took photos of the rockets with his bluetooth phone, shortly before Israeli soldiers arrived and took the pipe rockets away.
Later, Israeli soldiers and explosives experts returned to the village, scouring the land for evidence, and, more importantly, proof that the rockets really came from Bracha. While Israeli military officials called Mr Najah and advised him that they would catch and punish those responsible, many villagers were not so convinced of their motives. As one member of the local council speculated “These soldiers were sent by the Israeli government to know if it is true or not true – that there really was a rocket. They need to be able to report to the news [stations] that they know what happened.”
This is the third rocket in as many weeks to have been launched from Bracha at the village, according to Mr Najah. While Israeli newspapers claimed the first homemade rocket was launched from Yitzhar, the illegal Israeli settlement that is situated on the opposite ridge-line to Bracha, Mr Najah is adamant that it was in fact from Bracha. He claims that the first rocket was launched from near the houses of the settlement, but that it landed in roughly the same area as the two launched today.
“We were not afraid from these rockets [today],” he said. “The first made a fire, these rockets [today] were behind our home without fire.” His seeming nonchalance continued as he joked “Next time they will make a big rocket and we are dead.” His demeanour changed, however, when asked if his family was actually worried about this. “We are worried that this will happen. The children are worried”.
While the village of Burin is constantly under threat from settler attacks, sandwiched as it is between the illegal settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha, Mr Najah reports that in the past months these attacks have become steadily worse. As well as the rocket attacks, Israeli settlers from Yitzhar have set fire to the lands of Burin twice in the past month, once on 30th May and again on 19th June. Attacks have also been made by the settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha on nearby villages of Iraq Burin and Asira al Qibliyia. Residents report that they are unable to go to their lands which are near the settlements for fear of being shot at by the settlers. Settlers also regularly steal the villagers’ livestock; kill their animals at night; and cut down their olive trees. Three years ago settlers shot at a car carrying seven Palestinians, causing injuries.
Mr Najah was insistent that while the people of Burin, and the Palestinian people in general, are happy to live in peace with Israelis, the settlements make this impossible. “If the Israeli government wants to make peace, they will put their hand on this land, and they will force the settlers to leave. They have stolen these lands. This is my land from my father, from my grandfather. They have been here since 1984 [referring to when the Bracha settlement was first built], we have been here forever.”
Demonstrators from Sarra village danced dubka on a roadblock in defiance of tear gas and sound bombs fired by the Israeli army as part of the Summer Against Apartheid.
Approximately two hundred villagers, supported by international activists, marched to the road block which restricts their freedom of movement. ‘This is Apartheid’ read the banner held by protesters who stood in front of Israeli soldiers, while others began to clear the earth mound road block with shovels.
The soldiers, who had been waiting for the demonstration to arrive, refused to speak with people from the village who tried to explain the action. They responded aggressively with sound bombs and tear gas. Protesters remained at the road block and continued to work to remove it while further armed forces arrived. Soldiers finally agreed to talk with demonstrators and ordered them to leave the area. Instead, young people from the village, dressed in traditional costume, danced dubka, a Palestinian people’s dance, in front of the line of soldiers as other protesters clapped time.
Afterwards, soldiers fired canisters of tear gas at the demonstration as participants walked back to the village.
This was the second in what is to be a series of demonstrations in Sarra against Israel’s apartheid system.
A Palestinian farming family in Iraq Burin, a village outside Nablus, had just made it halfway through this year’s wheat harvest when Israeli settlers burned it all down. The family is very upset by this action, since they now might not be able to feed their family and animals. The family discovered the ruined crop in the morning on June 24th.
During the last ten years the settlers, living three kilometers away from the village, have an increasing amount of land from Iraq Burin. Setting fire to the land is one way that the settlers have used to try and force local Palestinians off of their land. Last year a whole cultivated hill, belonging to the village, was set afire. It is not only the settlers are causing problems to the villagers, but also the Israeli army. For years they have been threatening to demolish three houses that they claim are too close to the settlement.
The family of nine has owned the land for generations, and beside wheat they also grow olive- and almond trees. They are now unsure if they can continue with the harvest, assuming that the settlers will cause more problems.
Only one night after the settler attack the Israeli army invaded parts of the village. At least twenty families were affected.
The village of Asira al Qibliya has during the last month suffered from several attacks by Israeli settlers. The settlers usually show up each Friday and Saturday, aiming for the houses in the outskirts of Asira. During the last week at least three houses were attacked. Large parts of Salman Mountain, where the villager have their farming land and grow things such as wheat and lentils, was also set on fire by the soldiers. About 5 to 100 settlers are participating in each attack
During the attacks the settlers have thrown stones though windows, crashed a car, stolen and killed cattle, torched fruit treas and farmland, fired live ammunition on the houses and water tanks, thrown gas grenades and painted stars of David over the house facades. The families living in the exposed houses are scared, the children can’t play freely outside anymore and the adults witnesses of troubles to sleep worrying of the settlers. When asked if they have ever considered moving to a safer place, one family father told us “Of course we will stay here – since moving away is exactly what the settlers want us to do”. That particular family has lived in generations in the same house making up at least 60 years. The family car was torched and totally destroyed one year ago. A big concern is the olive harvest two months away when the parents has to decide whether to leave their children behind exposed to attacks or leave their house an empty open target for the settlers. Another family has barricaded their windows with stones to protect themselves from live ammunition and was pointing out bullet holes in the wall witnessing of the attacks. Every Friday and Saturday the family locks themselves inside the house to wait out the settler attacks. Recently two villagers were caught by the settlers, of which one was shot in the leg. The settlers then used stones to hit the villagers causing serious damage.
According to the president of the village, the situation in Asira has gotten worse since the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada seven years ago. Not only because of attacks from settlers, but also due to the restriction of movement, closed roads, poor health care and increased unemployment. Today there is no way out of Asira not passing a checkpoint. Before the checkpoints it took only 10 minutes to go to Nablus, the closest city, but today the travel time can take 2-3 hours up to a day. The settlers also prevent them from reaching their farming land, even if this land is not even close to the settlement.
