Israeli Settler Violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

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PLO NEGOTIATIONS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

NOVEMBER 2010

While Israeli settler violence against Palestinians is a daily occurrence in the occupied Palestinian territory, the past three months have seen a steady increase in settler violence against Palestinian civilians and property to coincide with the annual olive harvest. In many cases, settler violence is used as a means to disrupt the ability of and discourage Palestinians from harvesting their land.
Palestinians in the West Bank have reported a total of 277 cases of settler violence from August through October 2010. Settlers, although protected by the Israeli military or private security contractors, often carry, and frequently use, weapons against Palestinian civilians and their property.

August 2010: A total of 61 incidents of violence, including:

o In Nablus, a group of Israeli settlers severely beat a Palestinian farmer near the settlement of Beit Yattir. Also, a group of Israeli settlers from Itamar settlement assaulted farmers while they were tending their farm. Further, near the junction leading to Burin village, a group of Israeli settlers severely beat three civilians, including a 3-year-old child.

o In Ramallah, a group of Israeli settlers set fire to private agricultural land in Safa village, destroying many olive trees;

o In Hebron, a group of Israeli settlers attacked at least six civilians including three children aged between 4 and 5 years old, and Danish and Canadian peace activists.

o In East Jerusalem, a group of Israeli settlers attempted to raid a mosque in Silwan neighborhood while firing indiscriminately at civilians.

o In Tulkarem, a group of Israeli settlers set fire to private Palestinian farmland, damaging approximately 1.2 acres of land.

September 2010: A total of 81 incidents of violence, including:

o In East Jerusalem, a group of Israeli settlers beat a Palestinian man, who was rushed to hospital for treatment.

o In Nablus, a group of Israeli settlers cut down numerous olive trees in Burin village and hurled stones at civilians, injuring at least one. In addition, a group of Israeli settlers from Itamar settlement stole olive crops from civilian land in ‘Awarta village. In a different incident, Israeli settlers armed with knives and sharp tools raided Qaryut village and attacked a local villager’s home.

o In Salfit, Israeli settlers opened fire at three civilians while they were working on their farmland in the town of Istiya, located near Immanuel settlement.

o In Hebron district, Israeli settlers hurled stones at and attacked civilians in the villages of Al Baqa’, Al Edaisiya, As Sahla, Wadi al Maghir, Bani Na’im and near the Ibrahim mosque in Hebron City.

o In Bethlehem district, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in Beit Fajar village and defaced it with spray-painted hate slogans in Hebrew. Also, a group of the Israeli settlers gained access to and occupied an uninhabited house near the An Nashash junction south of Al Khadr town.

o In Tubas, Israeli settlers severely beat and unlawfully detained a resident of ‘Ein al Beida village, in the northern Jordan Valley.

October 2010: A total of 135 incidents of violence, including:

o In East Jerusalem’s, Silwan neighborhood, an Israeli settler deliberately ran over two children, a 10 and 11-year-old. The children suffered bone fractures and contusions.

o In Ramallah district, a group of Israeli settlers cut down a number of olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers and attacked and attempted to set fire to a bulldozer, while it was on private land. Also, settlers gathered in the town of Silwad and attempted to assault civilians and prevent them from harvesting their olive crops. In addition, Israeli settlers from Dolev settlement threw stones at, and stole the olive crops of, Palestinian famers from Deir Ibzi’ village.

o In Hebron district, an Israeli settler ran over a Palestinian civilian near the junction to Beit Ummar town, leaving him with injuries and contusions. Also, in Beit Ummar, Israeli settlers from Karmei Tzur settlement opened fire on six Palestinians, including four children, while they were tending their land, forcing them to leave behind a tractor and other agricultural equipment. In addition, Israeli settlers demolished private property and closed a detour road leading to civilian farmland in the Al Buweira area east of the city of Hebron. Further, a group of Israeli settlers from Kfar ‘Etzion settlement discharged waste water, flooding Palestinian farmland and thereby destroying crops in the Wadi Shakhit area in the town of Beit Ummar. In addition, a group of Israeli settlers from Sussia settlement trespassed onto private land in the Wadi Al Suweid area, threw stones at farmers, stole olive crops, and damaged private property.

o In Nablus district, Israeli settlers severely beat a 55-year-old man in Huwara town and stole his olive crops. Also, in the Khallet Al Jaghub area east of the village of Deir Al Hatab, Israeli settlers stole olive crops from private farmland. Further, Israeli settlers beat two residents of the village of Burin, while they were harvesting olive crops on their land. Also in Burin, a group of Israeli settlers from Berakha settlement assaulted and prevented civilians from harvesting their olive crops on their land. Recently, Israeli settlers from Elon Moreh settlement discharged waste water on agricultural land in Deir Al Hatab village, flooding and poisoning hundreds of olive trees.

o In Salfit, a group of Israeli settlers from Ariel settlement prevented farmers from the town of Kifl Haris from accessing their land and harvesting their olive crops.

o In Qalqilya district, Israeli settlers stole olive crops from civilian land in the area between the villages of Jit and Immatin, and near the entrance to the village of Kafr Qaddum, while a group of Israeli settlers set fire to civilian farmland in the village of Far’ata, damaging a number of olive trees.
o In Bethlehem district, Israeli settlers from Neve Daniel settlement prevented farmers and workers from entering their land in the town of Al Khadr. Also, Israeli settlers from Betar ‘Illit settlement used bulldozers to discharge garbage on private land in the village of Wadi Fukeen. In addition, a group of Israeli settlers from Betar ‘Illit settlement set fire to private olive groves near the village of Husan.

o In Jenin, Israeli settlers leveled civilian land near Shaqed settlement in preparation for construction work.