Settler Violence Report: January - February 2009

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January and February 2009

Hebron and South West Bank Region

1st of January
Near the village of Nahhaleen an Israeli Army Officer issued order n. 29-08-T for the confiscation of an area of 10 dunam. The land will be used to create a connection between the settlements of Beitar ’Ilit and Gav’ot, in the area of Kfar Etzion Settlement Bloc. According to local sources the road will cut the area of Nahhaleen village into two parts, so the farmers will need special permission to go to work on their lands on the other side of the road. Research done on the maps made by ARIJ show that the number of dunam involved in the road project will be more than 10, that is 18. These actions will isolate 4,400 dunam of the village. (source: al-Yyam newspaper, 14 January)

9 February
 Near Husan village (West of Bethlehem), Ali Mahfoouz Hamamreh, 15 years old, was injured in the right leg. A settler shot at him while he was walking on the road between his village and the settlement of Beitar ’Ilit. The child was taken to Beit Jala Hospital, where his medical conditions were defined "difficult." The AIC met the family of the child, which stated that the settlers often attack people walking on that road and the habitations of the area. The most typical attacks are firing guns and throwing of stones against homes and people.

 In the village of al- Khader, dozens of settlers from Efrat (South of Bethlehem) moved with mobile homes and built to the West- South of the settlement, on a land that belong to Palestinian farmers. The action has made in the framework a series of attacks perpetrated in order to frighten Palestinians and confiscate more land. Ramzee Salah, the major of al-Khader village, claimed: "Our village is one of the more affected by the land confiscation for the settlement project. Since 1967 more than 19,000 dunam were confiscated. Al-Khader is completely surrounded by settlements and bypass roads. The village’s development and expanding is limited by the nearness of the settlement."

15 February
In Beit El, the Israeli Court and the Civil Administration decided to confiscate 1,770 dunam to the West of Efrat settlement (south of Bethlehem): the land will be declared "state land." The order of confiscation was issued one year ago and the nine Palestinian families of the village of al-Khader who were affected appealed to the Court. Only one appeal was accepted, while eight were rejected. According to the Israeli plan 2,500 house units will be built on the land in order to expand the settlement of Efrat. It is probable that the decision of the Israeli Court is a consequence of the Israeli elections, where the right parties won, with a strong program for the settlement project in the Occupied Territories. (see more at the Alternativ Information Center website, here.

18 February
In the area at south-east of Yatta, settlers from the settlement of Carmiel started to build a new road. Jaber Abu Humaid, chairman of the village of Omm Saffa, has claimed: "The building of a new road means that approximately 700 dunam will be de facto confiscated, otherwise they will be inside the road. Tens of families will lose their land, where they have cultivated and where their goats pasture. For example, my family own 80 dunam in that place and we couldn’t reach our land. Furthermore, in the area there used to be a lot of wells, very important for the farmer, in order to slake the thirst of the goats and the sheep."

Last week of February
The Israeli military, which have day to day control the area of Oush Grab verbally ordered to the Palestinian Municipality to close the area. The local workers that are developing the picnic area have been forbidden to go to the place and to continue their activities. The park area is part of a project of the Municipality of Beit Sahour and USAID and is placed near a former Israeli Military Base. The Municipality was negotiating in order to build a Cancer Hospital for Children. Since May 2008 the settlers of the area of Bethlehem, leaded by Women in Green are coming weekly with the clear aim of taking over the area.

Nablus and north of West Bank Region
9 January
In Qarqyout village (East of Nablus) Id Fawzee Mousa, 15 years old, was injured in his right leg. Five settlers opened fire with their rifles on the south area of the village. The child was brought to the Hospital of Ramallah. The accident happened after some clashes between settlers and students in the main road of the village.

13 January
Between Nablus and Qualqelyia, Nasser Mustafa Daoud Odeh, 16 years old, was killed by a settler. The teen, from the village of Azzon in Qalqelyia District, was shot by a settler from the settlement of Imanual, in the North of West Bank. Israeli police, through the voice of its spokesman Mayki Rozenfiled, claimed to France Press: "The settler opened fire when his car was targeted by stones. After the murder the police stopped the man for the investigation."

18 February
On the road to Selet El Daher, in Jenin District, 20 settlers set up a check point. The settlers sequestered the car of Ibraheem Shalash Hammour, 58 years old, and they totally set it on fire near the ruins of the settlement of Homish that was dismantled two years ago. Salah said: "When I reached the checkpoint they forced me to leave the car, they took it away and I saw it burning. They threw stones on a lot of cars on the road." He also added: “The settlers beat me with sticks and stones after set the car on fire. There were some eyewitnesses that called the fire-brigades of Jenin. An Israeli Army jeep reached the place. The soldiers took a deposition of what happened. “The Palestinians P.R. spokesperson issued a statement about the fact.

23 February
 Joseph Tomb, Balata village (east Nablus City). Dozens of settlers from many of the settlements in the area reached the religious site in order to pray, saying that it is a holy site for Jews. They arrived with the protection of the Israeli military, which set up many flying checkpoints, preventing the residents from moving by car in the area. The Israelis left the zone in 2001 and the area is under the control of the PA, according to the Oslo Agreements. In spite of this, the settlers occasionally com there for praying and they throw stones on the houses in Balata village. The PA complains, but nobody prevents the settlers from their actions.

Huwwara village (South of Nablus). Two young girls, Shada Mahmoud Khammous, 10 years old, and her sister Lam, were run over by a settler’s car, near the Tamini gas station, on the main road of the village. The two injured were taken to the Ingiliakan Hospital in Nablus by a Red Crescent Ambulance. The settler, after the incident, ran away without rescuing the girls. Numerous similar cases happened on the same road, here the settlers often drive very fast ( see AIC’s monthly settler violence reports).

November and December 2008

Cfr. Alternative Information Center website

The "settler violence report" for November and December 2008 is particularly abounding in episodes of violence. The settlers were more violent than usual. The reason was the decision of the Israe li Supreme Court to issue an order of evacuation for nine Jewish families that illegally lived in the al-Rajabi building in Hebron’s downtown—a building that they paradoxically call Beit HaShalom, which in Hebrew means "Peace House."

The settlers occupied the Palestinian building on March of 2007. The Palestinians of the area appealed to the Court with all the documentations. Certifying their ownership of the building. After one year and a half of discussion, the Court had to accept the appeal and to force the settlers to leave the building. The decision was taken at the beginning of November 2008 and stirred up the settlers against the decision and consequently against the Palestinians.

The throwing of stones, opening fire, closures of the roads and all kinds of violence, affected the life of the Palestinians, particularly in Hebron. Moreover, the settlers of Hebron received support throughout all the West Bank.

In prior incidents, settlers seemed much less organized, but in November and December they seem to have been executing organized plans to terrorize the area. For example, they split off in separate groups to carry out simultaneous attacks in a variety of areas instead of concentrating on one particular area. There were nearly no serious actions by Israeli soldiers to stop the settler attacks.
The intense settler attacks have created an emergency that has directly affected 40,000 people who live in the downtown areas of Hebron.
This was another demonstration of how the settlers don’t respect the Palestinians and how they put themselves above the law, without any intervention of the Israeli military or Authority.

Hebron and south of West Bank

3 November
 Settlers brought two new mobile homes to the south of the settlement of Giv’at Harsina, to the northeast of Hebron. They occupied land that was confiscated one year ago.

 On the land of Halhuol and Beit Ummar settlers fro the settlement of Karmi Tzor built four new houses on land recently confiscated. Abdul Hadi Hantash, an expert of the Land Defense Committee in West Bank claimed: "In the last weeks the number of building of houses and transportations of mobile homes is increasing in the settlements in Hebron district. The impression is that they want to fill with houses all the land that was recently confiscated."

 Wadi Nassara, Hebron, four Palestininans were stoned in the area to south of the settlement of Qiryat Arba. The same day, dozens of settlers from the outposts in the downtown of Hebron stoned shops, houses and residents. All the incidents were part of a protest against the decision of the Israeli Court of forcing the settlers to leave the building that they occupied on March of 2007. Throughout the West Bank the settlers organized demonstrations. Tens of settlers closed the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. The settlers of the settlement of Yericho closed the main road and the stoned cars of the residents. The Israeli military prevented the Palestinians from using the roads.

4 November
Al-Ras, west of the settlement of Qiryat Arba (Hebron). The settlers that occupied the al-Rajabi Building, attacking Palestinian houses and throwing stones. Kais Nader Ja’bari, 6 years old, and Mo’Aweya Wael Ja’bari, 17 years old, were injured. Bassam Ja’bari, a relative of the kids, said to the AIC that the settlers opened fire in order to terrorize the residents.

19 November
100 settlers gathered near the al-Rajabi Building in al-Ras, at West of Qiryat Arba settlement. The demonstration was organized against the Israeli Court decision of forcing the settlers to leave the building that they occupied one year and an half ago. During the demonstration the settlers threw a lot of stones against the Palestinian residents of the area and closed the main road. Israeli soldiers reached the site of the protest declaring the area "closed military zone.” They officially claimed that they wanted to prevent clashes between the settlers and the residents. According to witnesses, a group of masked settlers attacked Ghaleb Ragheb Ja’bari, 55 years old, while he was leaving the Mosque in al-Ras. The man was injured in the head.

20 November
During the night, settlers targeted the Mosque of al-Ras and the Islamic Ceremony. They broke the windows of the Mosque, damaged tombs and wrote curses against the Arabs. During the same night in Wadi Nassara, a group of masked settlers uprooted 10 olive trees and burnt the car of Ali Abed El Jaleel Morrar.

30 November
Settlers in the al-Rajabi Building, near al-Ras, attacked some houses in Wadi Nassara and Wadi Husain, near the settlement of Qiryat Arba. Saed Naser Ja’bari 16 years old, Mokarram Naser Ja’bari, 13, and Adli Sulaiman Ja’bari 10, were injured by stones and were taken to the Hospital by the Red Crescent Ambulance. On the same day the settlers used their dogs for attack Palestinians in the streets. Zayed Abu Sonaina, 40 years old, was injured by a dog in his face and was hospitalized for three days. He claimed: "I was attacked while I was walking near the Ibrahimiyya School in the afternoon."

1 December
During the night, groups of settlers attacked, also opening fire, some houses in Wadi Husain, Wadi Nassar, al-Ja’bari square and al–Ras sides in Hebron. Settlers also tried to get into the houses . All these attacks are connected with the protest actions that the settlers did in order to demonstrate against the Israeli Supreme Court decision to force them to leave al- Rajabi Building. Hajja Monwer Ja’bari claimed: “The impression is that they want to force us to leave our houses in order to expand their outposts and the settlement of Qiyat Arba. Even if I was injured last night by stone in my face, we will not leave our homes, even if we would die.”

4 December
Hebron City. In the area of Wadi Nassara, to the south of the settlement of Qiryat Arba, the settlers burnt nine cars, damaged 10 cars and caused havoc in many places in the city. The houses that burnt belong to the Ja’bari and Da’na families. Raja’Abed al-Rouf al-Khateeb, 50 years old, Munjed al-Khateeb, 15, Rozan al-Khateeb, 12 and Amal al-Muhtaseb.

5 December
During the night, settlers stoned the houses and opened fire with live-bullets. Jadallah Abed al-Haleem Ja’nari, 22 years old, was injured in his chest by a bullet fired on the houses in Hareqa, near the settlement of Qiryat Arba. He was taken to the hospital and his case was described as serious.

12 December
Hundreds of settlers attacked different places in the city of Hebron. In Karantina the settlers threw stones at the houses, breaking a lot of windows. Mosbah Abu Monshar said: "The settlers threw stones at our house and other houses, for example the houses of Mohammed Adnan Basheer, Anwar Mosbah Abu Monshar, Haroon al-Taweel, Najjeb Zaki A Slaimeya. In Slameyya houses the settlers got inside and tried to beat the inhabitants. There were some clashes between the settlers and the soldiers that were forcing them to leave the place."
On the same day the settlers of the settlement of Ramot Yashai in the area of Tel Romaida threw stones ate the house of Hana Abu Haikal and they broke the windows of the car. In Wadi Nassara and Wadi Husain, at south and west of Qiryat Arba, the settlers opened fire on the houses.

20 December
In the downtown of Hebron settlers of the outpost of Avraham Avino attacked the house of Nidal Owaiwe. The settlers jumped on the roof, broke the door, damaged the kitchen and burnt the salon of the house. The children cried. When the soldiers entered they convinced the settlers to leave the house. But other attacks happened to this family. Nidal said to the AIC "My house is always one of the target of the settlers’ attack. They can act even if there is a military base on the roof near my house. There is a kind of connivance. Everything is caused by the isolated position of our house and the attack began when the settlers tried to take over our house that is in a very important area, near the vegetable market. After the fire, the settlers came again and destroyed the water tanks and cut the electricity."

Nablus and North of West Bank
19 November
Settlers closed the road between Nabi Saleh and Ramallah and threw stones at Palestinian cars. In the area to the north of Ramallah the settlers closed the roads of a lot of villages, as Alluban al- Gharbiyya, Shaqba, Rantees, Abod, Dair Nitham, Bait Rema and Dair Ghassana. All the protests were connected with the protest against the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court of evacuate the al-Rajabi Building in Hebron. The settlers organized a movement throughout all the West Bank in order to show solidarity to the settlers in Hebron.

4 December
The protests of the settlers throughout the West Bank were going on. The settlers in the area of Nablus District closed the most important roads. 15 car windows were broken, particularly on the junction of the settlement of Itzahr. Three drivers were injured by the throwing of stones near the settlement of Itamar. During the night, settlers attacked the villages of Azzon, Fonduq, Nabi Elyas and Jinsafoud in Qalqelyia District. The Israeli military prevented them going on with the aggressions.

5 December
 In Tulkarem District settlers from the settlement of Avni Haivitz cut 80 olive trees in the village of Sofa and damaged the main water pipe of the village. Tahseen Hamed, member of the Defense Land Association said that the settlers after the damages also closed the main road of the village with big stones.

 The settlers of the settlement of Zait Ra’nan (West of Ramallah) cut 24 olive trees. The cultivation, in the village of Ras Karker, belongs to Nidal Hasan Samhan and Sohail Samhan.

6 December
Settlers of the outpost of Labbona (North of Ramallah) threw stones against the cars that were passing on the main road near the village of Sinjel. Atef Ibraheem Rashed, 32 years old, from Atteel village in Tulkarem District and Samah Husam Basalt, 29 years old, from Qalqeelya were injured. They were brought to the Hospital of Ramallah.

7 December
Two hours of terror in the village of Doma. Dozens of settlers of the settlement of Majdoleem (South of Nablus) attacked the Mosque, opening fire against the walls. Mohamed Hasan Dawabash, the Imam, tried to speak with the aggressors, but he was beaten. The settlers also opened fire in the area of the village.

11 December
In the village of Arraba, in Jenin District, a settler of the settlement of Mabo Dotan attacked 44 year old farmer, Najee Lutfee Zuhair. The settler unleashed his dogs against the farmer that was working on his land, which is located near the settlement. This is the narration of the farmer: "When the settler attacked me with the dogs I tried to face them using some stones. I called my family asking help. When he saw the people he called the dogs and went away. This is not the first attack. I know that they want to force me to leave my land. I made a lot of complaints to the Israeli military, but I didn’t receive positive response."