Tag: settler attack

Masafer Yatta: Shi’b Al Butm villagers determined to stay on their land

16 November 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Masafer Yatta

Shi’b Al Butm is a village on the side of one of the South Hebron Hills. It is  home to 18 Palestinian families with an illegal Israeli settlement close by, and a settler outpost sprouted by the main settlement even closer, very near the houses at the top end of the village.

When we arrived last night, the yellowish shine of the settlement lights looked too near for comfort. The white lights of the the Palestinian town of Yatta were far more distant. A modern settler road stretches along the other side of the village, cutting through the rolling hills and cutting Shi’b Al Butm off from Yatta.

Our host and his family were sitting around a massive burning log of an olive tree trunk, with tea and coffee repeatedly making the rounds. When the settlers’ drone went up in the night sky, we knew that they were keeping an eye on us and reminding us of their presence.

There was some movement in the direction of the outpost. Night sounds are obvious to those who lived there all their lives, but not to us unfamiliar with the area.

The consensus was that it was likely to be the settlers removing the tent nearest to the village houses. Why do that in the middle of the night? Israeli solidarity activists told us that a tour of the settlements was organised for the next day to show their peaceful nature and idyllic nature and having a tent as a sign of outpost extension on the verge of a Palestinian village could not be a part of that gaslighting tour.

The host and his sons told us that they would be staying awake in shifts through the night and we made a rota for us internationals to keep them company. A Los Angeles Times journalist, spending the night in the village, also joined the vigil.

During my night shift, all noises were a cause for alert.  Our host and his son again and again getting up, listening hard and shining a torch to make sure that there are no unwanted visitors. Then the dogs would start barking and our host’s son would venture in the dark to see what excited them.

Luckily the night was quiet, but with several men of the house hardly sleeping a wink. The idea was that they would all catch up on their sleep after the morning prayer.

An Israeli woman activist who spends lots of time in the area, staying in different villages, told me that the setters always come from the outpost just above the village. Last time, a few days ago, they came and told the entire village population to leave or they would kill them. But the villagers were not planning to leave, nor were they going to be caught asleep.

The Israeli activist said that that was the third in the wave of attacks since the start of the war on Gaza, with the previous ones ending in the entire contents of one home bring wrecked, flour spilled all over, flower pots smashed and a duck and chicken killed. She quoted the cynical remark of a villager: “Now that Palestinian lives don’t matter anymore, can someone at least try to protect the lives of animals?”

Watch: Israeli settlers and soldiers destroy Palestinian property, shoot live ammunition in Masafer Yatta

 

 

Masafer Yatta | International Solidarity Movement

On October 25th, 2023, Israeli settlers and soldiers invaded the land belonging to a Palestinian family in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, and used a bulldozer to uproot trees and destroy the family’s garden.

The colonial attack occured in the Palestinian village of  Tuwani and targeted the Hourani family. The settlers and soldiers came from the illegal Israeli settlement of Havat Ma’on, located a few hundred meters away fom Tuwani.

ISM activists and Israeli activists filmed the scene. After one hour, once the settlers and soldiers had left, the activists approached the scene to assess the damage caused by the bulldozer. One settler, noticing that the activists were walking towards the land that had just been destroyed, ran back, screaming and pointing his assault rifle towards the activists. Israeli soldiers rushed to the scene and shot half a dozen warning shots towards the activists, making it clear that they would shoot them if they didn’t back off.

“They followed us right to the back of the Hourani property, shouting, taking photos of us close up, demanding to see passports but we refused to hand them over” an ISM activist recounted.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, colonial crimes in Masafer Yatta have escalated, with settler militias committing pogroms against Palestinian villages and families, and Israeli soldiers at checkpoints shooting at civilian cars without warnings.

On October 13th, an Israeli settler invaded Tuwani and shot a Palestinian man in the stomach at point blank range, while being protected by an Israeli soldier. The day before, Israeli settlers dressed in Israeli army uniforms had invaded Palestinian agricultural land, planted Israeli flags and started shooting towards Palestinians and solidarity activists. ISM activists have also reported that they have been threatened them and robbed them of their phones by Israeli soldiers.

In the past days, settlers have also stormed the Palestinians villages of Isfay, Tuba, and Maghayr Al-Abeed, physically assaulting people and damaging the water tanks and electric grids.

Palestinians from the group Youth of Sumud, together with internationalist and Israeli activists, have been documenting and non-violently resisting the colonialist attacks.

More than 103 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza, with thousands more wounded or kidnapped by the Israeli army.

 

 

Colonial repression accelerates in Jordan Valley

 

Military checkpoint in the Jordan Valley.

17 October, 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Jordan Valley

Tuesday 17 Oct, an update from the Jordan Valley:
Since Israel waged war on Gaza, on October 7, the situation in the Jordan Valley has deteriorated dramatically.
Military checkpoints are often completely closed, and movements in and out of the Jordan Valley are severely limited. West Bank citizens who are not residents of the Jordan Valley are identified and can be forbidden to enter certain areas or villages in the Jordan Valley. While residents of the Jordan Valley are hindered from moving.
There is also limited gasoline or diesel available and any solidarity activity is prohibited. There was an activity in Khirbet Atuf in the northern Jordan Valley, which was responded to by the occupation army forces with live fire, resulting in the martyrdom of the young man Muhammad Ahmad Bsharat, and more than 20 injuries.
Residents of the Jordan Valley and Bedouin communities are also prohibited from moving after 5 p.m.
There are more than 10 communities and villages that cannot obtain water due to closures and the water deprivation policy.
Israeli settlers also took advantage of the support from Minister Ben Gvir and the state of emergency and began to displace Palestinian citizens.

Queues at military checkpoint, Jordan Valley. Credit to Jordan Valley activists.

Several families in Bedouin communities were displaced, threatened by armed settlers. The settlers attacked, intimidated and destroyed the private property of residents in the Jordan Valley and confiscated some lands.

The situation is difficult, and the communities realize that they need to struggle for survival during this ongoing war against the Bedouins and pastoral communities, also being waged taking advantage of the state of emergency and the continuous crimes against children and civilians in Gaza.

Revenge attacks in Masafer Yatta

Mohammed Hathaleen, a disabled resident of Umm al-Khair who was shot at by Israeli soldiers next to the settlement fence of Carmel (pictured behind)

 

16 October, 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Masafer Yatta 

In the week since Israel began its onslaught on Gaza, soldiers and settlers have bulldozed homes, carried out night raids and attacked Palestinians across the Masafer Yatta region.

Occupation forces have taken advantage of the state of emergency to escalate their violence and displacement of Palestinians in the southern region of the West Bank.

Olive trees have also been uprooted and rampaging settlers have opened fire on shepherds and villagers.

Villagers in Umm al-Khair have been documenting the growing number of attacks by settlers in Masafer Yatta. The community shared this information with ISM, which we are reporting here.

On October 7, settlers set up road blocks throughout Masafer Yatta, preventing villagers from accessing vital services and disrupting their daily lives.

On the same day, a group of settlers entered the village of Khalet Adabe, attacking one resident and breaking his arm.

On Tuesday, October 10, settlers in military uniforms entered Umm al Khair and proceeded to detain the young people of the village, checking their IDs and confiscating cell phones.

The settlers claimed that they had seen someone from the village walking ‘dangerously’ close to the fence surrounding the settlement of Carmel. This turned out to be Mohammed Hathaleen, a disabled man, who was left with severe brain damage after being brutally beaten by Carmel settlers 23 years ago.

“Mohammad currently lives in a state of unawareness of his surroundings,” his brother Tariq Hathaleen said. “In his condition, he is unable to perceive or react to danger, particularly when walking near the settlement fence.

“It’s difficult to fathom or even endure such an accusation, given that the Carmel settlement is located merely one metre from Umm al-Khair village.”

The settlers left with a warning that they would shoot anyone who comes in close proximity to the fence that separates the settlements from the village.

On Monday, October 16, the village of Umm al-Khair was terrorised once again when a military patrol stopped and soldiers pointed their guns at Mohammed Hathaleen. They are said to have put down their guns after villagers shouted at them to stop.

Carmel was built in 1981 on the doorstep of Umm al-Khair, a Bedouin village that has lived under constant threat of demolition for many years.

Also on Tuesday (October 10), settlers accompanied by the military demolished five Palestinian homes and two animal barns in the village of Simri.

On Wednesday, October 11, several villagers including Susyiah, at-Tuwani, Adirat, Umm Al-Khair, Al-Karmel and Ajawaiah came under gunfire by settlers.

A military patrol also opened fire on a shepherd near the village of at-Tuwani without warning. He was left unharmed but two of his sheep were shot and injured.

As previously reported by ISM, a settler shot at-Tuwani resident Zakarya Adra in the stomach on Friday, October 13.

Hathaleen continued: “What is happening is unlike anything before; nobody can predict what tomorrow may bring. There seem to be no openings for hope or a clear vision of tomorrow at this time.

“As the ordeal enters its second week, the people endure immense suffering, despite limited media coverage of these distressing events. It begs the question: How much longer must Palestinians endure before the world takes notice and acts?”

6 Palestinians killed by settlers with the protection of the Occupying forces in Qusra village

By Diana Khwaelid

Qasra village – 12/10/2023
On the evening of Wednesday 11-10-2023, a group of extremist settlers stormed the village of Qusra,
north of Nablus, and attacked Palestinian citizens. The settlers were working with the protection of the Israeli occupation army.
Palestinian youth from the village came out to try and defend from the attacks of the settlers and the Israeli army. Settlers immediately began shooting in the direction of the young Palestinians, which led to the injury of 8 Palestinians, two of whom died immediately afterwards. Two others of the injured died soon after in hospital.
The four Palestinians who died as a result of confronting settlers and defending the lands and residents of the village, are martyrs Moaz Odeh, Hassan Abu Sorour, Musab Abu Rida, and Abu
Sorour.
The settlers also attacked the funeral procession of the martyrs on their way from Salfit hospital to Qusra, near the Alsawya junction in Salfit and near Qiblan again. Here, the Israeli occupation forces also fired gas canisters and live bullets directly at the Palestinians on their way to mourn the four martyrs from the village. This led to the killing of Secretary of the Fatah movement in the village martyr Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son Ahmed al-Wadi, 25 years old.


The village of Qusra reached 6 martyrs in less than 13 hours.
The martyr Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son Ahmed, are among the most prominent Palestinian activists in
the village, and they have always been in the front lines of resisting the occupation and the settlers. They had been arrested in the past by the Occupation forces because of their political activity against the occupation.
Hundreds of Palestinian citizens participated in the funeral of the six martyrs of the village of Qasra.
Mass popular anger is palpable in the village and in all of Palestine at the continued occupation of committing its crimes against the Palestinian people, whether in the West Bank or Gaza.