Tag: Yitzhar Settlement

Yitzhar settlers violently crash Burin wedding, military watches

6 September 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

Settlers cause fires in Burin.

While villagers were celebrating a wedding in the small village of Burin, Israeli arsonists from the illegal settlement of Yitzhar seized the opportunity to set ablaze olive groves, destroying over 200 olive trees.

On September 5th at 5 AM, locals in the village of Burin and other surrounding areas awoke to the crashing sound of stones pelting their parked vehicles. The harassment continued, and at 3:15pm during a village party, settlers from the neighboring, illegal settlement of Yitzhar began to assault the village from the hilltops by rolling burning tires towards olive orchards.

Five tires were thrown at the groups of olive trees in a measured attempt to ensure maximum damage. When the Israeli army arrived the settlers began to stroll back towards the settlement, with soldiers closing off the road to prevent a fire truck from reaching the fire.

A number of villagers, who were at the wedding, left and started to make their way towards their olive groves, yet were stopped by Israeli military.

“The settlers were masked, and one settler had a video camera and was filming the event,” said Ghassan, a local of Burin.

As the illegal settlers stood to watch the trees burning, they were joined by a second group of settlers from a neighboring outposts. 5 families lost a total of over 200 trees due to this particular instance. Over 4000 olive trees have been uprooted or burnt by the illegal settlers from Yitzhar, which was erected in 1984.

This follows suit with the “price tag campaign” Yitzhar has famously coined, attacking Palestinians violently to wage a toll on their existence, while Israelis and Palestinians call on the Israeli military to stop condoning such attacks as the time for harvesting olives nears. International Solidarity Movement will be actively working during this time to safeguard Palestinians and assist in harvesting despite violent threats made by settlers throughout the West Bank.

For more information on ISMs Olive Harvest Campaign, visit our website.

 

Second settler arson attack on Madama in a week

3 June 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

On Thursday June 2 at about 1pm, the villagers of Madama were again victims of a settler arson attack on their land.

According to Samed Hamad, a 15 year old Palestinian who saw the incident, settlers from the nearby illegal settlement Yizhar, set fire to a crop Field on the mountain not far from the place they had attacked on Monday 30 May. Residents of the village went up to the blaze to put it out and it was then that a group of settlers accompanied by settler guards and Israeli soldiers attacked the Palestinians with stones. According to Samed, one of the soldiers later handed over his tear gas gun to a settler to fire at the villagers. The army entered the village from the “bridge” (a main road into the village) and from the settlement, thereby cornering the residents of Madama and trapping them.

Whilst the ISM was in Madama to report about the attack this afternoon, three Israeli jeeps entered the village again, throwing sound bombs and arresting 17 year old Hussein Othman Muhammad, seemingly at random. They tied his hands behind his back with a plastic strap and frog marched him blindfolded to the army jeeps where he was then forced to kneel down and eventually bundled into the back of one. When ISM talked to residents of the village later, they said that Hussein had been up on the mountain helping to put the fire out.

Today marks an increase in the settler campaign against Madama´s residents following an arson attack to wheat crops two days ago and a severe physical attack last week against 66 year old Hamad Jaber Qut which hospitalized him for 5 days.

Madama is a village with 2,000 inhabitants located in the south of Nablus, in the West Bank. According to its mayor, Ihab Tahsin Qut, since the construction of the illegal settlement of Yitzhar in 1985, many villagers have been attacked by the settlers and 1,000 dunams of land have already been confiscated from the village. Settler attacks on the farmers have severely effected the village’s agricultural trade in the past years.

Settler arson attack on the village of Madama

01 June 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

On Monday 30 May at 4pm, the villagers of Madama reported that a fire had been started by seven to eight settlers in one of the village’s wheat fields. The field was close to the place where less than a week ago, Hamad Jaber Qut – a 66 year old shepherd, was attacked by 15 settler youths with knives and sticks whilst tending his sheep and getting ready for prayer.

Mohammed, a resident of Madama, witnessed the arson attack which came at the hands of settlers who reside in the illegal settlement, Yizhar which is 1.5km away on top of one of the hills overlooking the Palestinian village. Mohammed saw them throw petrol and light the wheat. On seeing the smoke, the residents of Madama called the fire brigade to put the fire out, by which time the settlers had retreated back into the settlement. The fire was put out in due course.

When the ISM went to see where the attack had taken place, a jeep of Israeli soldiers could be seen watching the area.

This arson attack follows a violent physical attack on Hamad Jaber Qut who has sustained serious injuries to his face including two black eyes, gashes to his head, and bruising to his abdomen and legs after being attacked by 15 settler youths. When asked by the ISM whether he would go back to the land, he replied; “This land is our land, the settlement is in an area they should not be. The settlers did not take into consideration that I was preparing to pray before I was attacked. They are animals. This will not make us feel afraid, we have the right and god will be with us. All the world should know that their [the settlers] existence is illegal.” When asked whether he will go back to the land to tend his sheep, he replied; “Yes, I will go back. They will not stop us going.”

Madama is a village with 2,000 inhabitants located in the south of Nablus, in the West Bank. According to its mayor, Lehab Tahsin Qut, since the construction of the illegal settlement of Yitzhar in 1985, 1,000 dunams of land has already been confiscated from the village.

66 year old shepherd from the village of Madama attacked by settlers

27 May 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

On Thursday May 26, Hamad Jaber Qut, a 66 year old shepherd from the village of Madama, was taken to hospital after being attacked by settlers with sticks and knives.

At about 16:30 whilst Hamad was herding sheep in the mountains of Madama, situated near the illegal settlement of Yitzhar, approximately 15 settlers approached him. Due to his sight problems Hamad wasn’t initially able to recognize that the men were settlers. In an unprovoked attack the settlers beat him with thick wooden sticks and knives for about five or ten minutes, until one resident of the village saw what was happening and called for help. Hamad, who was badly injured was taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus, where he is still feeling very weak. He has approximately 25 injuries all over his body, especially his head and hands, and will stay in the hospital until he recovers.

Madama is a village with 2,000 inhabitants located in the south of Nablus, in the West Bank. According to its mayor, Ihab Tahsin Qut, since the construction of the illegal settlement of Yitzhar in 1985, many villagers have been attacked by the settlers and 1,000 dunams of land have already been confiscated from the village. Settler attacks on the farmers have severly effected the village’s agricultural trade in the past years.

Armed Settlers supported by Israeli army attack Palestinian village.

10 April 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

At 8.30am yesterday morning around fifty settlers, some masked and armed with guns, descended from Yitzhar settlement onto the Palestinian village of Assira Al Qibliya. International observers from the UK and Ireland witnessed the settlers threw rocks at homes and people on the outskirts of the village injuring one local, who is being treated in hospital.

Within thirty minutes an army jeep carrying Israeli soldiers arrived. They stood in front of the settlers on the hillside approximately one hundred metres from the Palestinian homes yet did nothing to prevent their attacks. The soldiers could be seen firing guns into the air and directly towards the Palestinians who had come out of their homes to witness and document this attack on their village.

During the attack four settlers broke away from the main group and made their way to a Palestinian quarry. Two armed with machine guns stood on a ledge while two descended onto the side of the road and set fire to a car used by the Palestinian workers.

The settlement of Yitzhar was originally established as a military outpost in 1983 but demilitarised and turned over to residential purposes a year later. Yitzhar is home to a Jewish orthodox community of over 100 who have in the past decade attacked the residents and properties of Assira Al Qibliya and neighbouring villages on numerous occasions using rocks, knives, guns and arson. These attacks often happen on Saturdays, the religious holiday of Shabbat.

Yitzhar is home to Rabbi Elitzur who published a book last November entitled “The Handbook for the Killing of Gentiles”, condoning the murder of non-Jewish babies, lest they grow to “be dangerous like their parents”. Rabbi Elitzur is vocal in his encouragement of “operations of reciprocal responsibility” such as the arson attack made on Yasuf mosque in December 2009

Despite West Banks settlements’ status as illegal under international law, Yitzhar was included in the Israeli governments’ 2009 “national priority map” as one of the settlements earmarked for financial support. Yitzhar also receives significant funding from American donations, tax-deductible under U.S. government tax breaks for ‘charitable’ institutions.