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Settlers in downtown Hebron, accompanied by Israeli soldiers.

Hebron and the South of West Bank 

*On 11 July, settlers from the Susya settlement, in cooperation with Israeli soldiers, attacked five shepherds and farmers from the village while working on their land, located to the west of the settlement. Naser Nawaj’a, member of the local committee against the construction of the settlement in the area, reports that “the settlers, sometimes under protection of the soldiers used to run after the farmers on land that belonging to Palestinian families from the village. The aim of such actions and aggressions is to prevent the residents from working on their land so later this land can be easily confiscated to expand the settlement. Here farmers face such aggressions on a daily basis. In some cases, the settlers have also beaten them. Our issue became very familiar for human rights and civil organizations on local, national and International levels.”

*On 12 July, around 20 armed settlers from Kiryat Arba’ settlement at noon stoned many residents houses in Wadi Husain sited to the west of the settlement. The settlers organized a march on the main road and stoned houses and residents. Wadi Husain resident, Bassam Fahd Ja’baree, owner of shop located on the main road, said “some of the settlers were armed, and, without any reason, started throwing stones on our houses and on people who were walking on the street. Fifteen houses have been stoned and some people had to run inside their homes to escape from the rocks being thrown. The houses damaged belong to Jaber, Ja’baree, and Da’na families.  

Other settlers temporarily occupied land belonging to Mahmoud Jaber and stoned the house of Abed-Elkareem Jab’baree. The settlers claimed the right to defend themselves from some Palestinian children from the area, who, according to the settlers, have thrown stones at them in the past. The soldiers called from the settlers, seized Jab'ree for three hours for interrogation. 

*On 27 July, settlers from the Ma’on settlement to the southeast of the Palestinian town of Yatta, stoned residents from Litwani village and some American activists who were attempting to protect the Palestinians living there. Chairman of the local council in the village, Saber al-Huraini, reported that “five armed settlers attacked the residents in the village by using stones in the afternoon. Some international activists, who came to observe the event, got stoned from the settlers, too. Two children, eight-year-old Yusof Omar Abu Jundiaya, and seven-year-old Rashed Ibraheem Abu Ali, and an American man, Jone Galege, were injured seriously. All were taken to the local clinic.

*During the evening of 2 August, settlers from Kiryat Arba attacked a wedding celebration at a house belonging to Abed el-Kareem Ja’baree, to the west of the settlement. The settlers threw stones at people celebrating inside. Two people, Ramzi al-Ja’baree and Fadee Majdee al-Ja’baree, have been injured and the celebration had to be stopped. Al-Ja’baree reports that “Those settlers don’t want us to live in peace. They forbid us even to celebrate a wedding.”

On the same day, approximately 25 settlers, who had occupied the al-Rajabee building 18 months ago, engaged in an afternoon march on a main street near the building, which is located in the al-Rass neighborhood, to the west of Kiryat Arba. The settlers threw stones at the residents’ homes and around ten of the settlers entered the home of Sofyan Abu Hitta, and jumped up to the roof, where they found 15-year-old Hamza Sofyan Abu Hitta. Five of them carried the boy and threw him down two meters from the roof to the ground. In the fall, Ramzee broke one of his legs and was injured in multiple locations over his body, especially on the back. He was taken to the city hospital.

During the same incident, tens of settlers began to march on downtown Hebron, stoning houses and people. They gathered especially in Salayma and Ghaith squares near the Ibrahim Mosque. Another group of settlers from Kiryat Arba stoned Palestinian cars on the bypass road which leads to the settlement. Some windshields and car windows were broken and one man, Yaser Daoud Salaymah, was injured on his head. Palestinians sources in the city reported all the actions as a big wave of planned attacks with the specific purpose of scaring the residents with intent to force them to leave. Despite the hundreds of Israeli soldiers, spread throughout the city “to maintain order,” the situation became very violent and control was lost. As always, the Israeli military allowed the settlers to attack Palestinian and create terror in the city. Settlers here can operate freely with near total impunity.     

*On 5 August, 80-year-old Ayesh Rabee’ al-Ja’baree, was injured on his head, back and left hand when 20 settlers from Kiryat Arba stoned him while he was standing in front of his home in Wadi Nassar, to the south of the settlement. He was subsequently taken to ‘Alya Hospital for treatment. During this time, settlers from the same settlement stoned the house of Ranya Da’na and injured her on the head, and 25-year-old Yazeed Kayed Da’na, was injured on his back. Both were taken to the local clinic. Ranya reports: “a group of settlers from the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba came in the afternoon and stoned my house while the children were playing in the garden. When I went out to call the children, the settlers attacked me with stones.”

It is important to remember that Yazeed lost his sight two years ago, when the settlers stoned him in his right eye. Five days ago, some settlers entered the home of the Abu Hitta family and threw a child, Hamza Abu Hitta, from the first floor. He reported injures on his head and hands and was taken to the city hospital.

*On 8 August, settlers from the Ramot Yishai settlement outpost in Tal-Romaida, in downtown Hebron, threw stones and rubbish on Tayseer Abu Aisha’s house. Tayseer said of the incident: “we went to the soldiers who were standing at a checkpoint very closed to our house and told them about what happened but they refused to deal with the case and ordered us to go home.”

*On 7 August, tens of settlers from Kiryat Arba and those who occupied the al-Rajabee building to the west of the settlement, threw stones and rubbish on the Palestinian houses nearby and attacked al-Rass mosque. During the same attack, the settlers stoned 18-year-old Abed Sofyan Abu Hitta, while he was on his way home, injuring him on his back. Eyewitnesses reported that the settlers tried to enter inside the local mosque, but failing, they jump up on its roof.  Governor of the District Husain al-A'raj, issued a statement about the attack against the house and the Mosque, declaring that it significantly violates religious locales and religious beliefs.

*On 14 August, the Israeli Land Registration Office in Beit-El announced the confiscation order of 92 dunam of land, belonging to families from the village of al-Khader, located to the south of Bethlehem. The aim of the confiscation order is to expand the settlement of Efrat, located to the south of the district. The Israeli Civil Administration claimed in the order that this land is Israeli state land. Khaleel Tofakje, Chairman of Maps Department in the Arab Studies Association in Jerusalem, wrote in al-Quds newspaper on 15 August that this is one of the ways the occupation authority uses to confiscate Palestinian land. The same day, Israeli authorities issued a new military order (number 94/5/T) to confiscate 1500 square meters of land in Tel Rumeida in downtown Hebron. This order is aimed to confiscate land for building a bypass road in the nearby outpost of Ramot Yishai and for Israeli military uses. According to Abed Elhadi Hantash, if such order will be implemented, the local residents in Hebron will face even harsher conditions than at present. Tens of olives tress along the street will be uprooted and once a bypass road will be built, the city will be divided. This order is part of the general policy that the Israeli authorities are implementing in downtown Hebron to expand the settlements and to force the residents to leave their homes and land.  

*On 23 August, two Palestinian residents were injured when some settlers from Kiryat Arba attacked them, throwing them stones. Forty-five-year-old, Osama Abu Sharekh and his 18-year-old son, Khaled, were beaten while walking on the main street to the west of the settlement. Both were taken to the clinic for treatments. The same settlers have been reported to throw stones on some houses near the street. A resident, Bassam al-Ja’bari, said: “when we tried to prevent the settlers from attacking us, the soldiers came, beat some youths and ordered us to go home.

*On 29 August, settlers who occupied the al-Rajabi building in the al-Rass neighborhood, to the west of Kiryat Arba, engaged in stone throwing at Palestinian homes. Some of the windows were broken. The Israeli soldiers who saw the scene from the nearby checkpoint didn’t stop them. The houses targeted belong to Mohammed Ali al-Ja’bari, Ghaleb Mansour al-Ja’bari, Kayed Mansour al-Ja’bari and Mithqal al- Ja’bari. The settlers also threw stones on goats and sheep. Such aggressions from these settlers are well known. The Israeli military closed the street near the building and established a new checkpoint in order to protect the settlers.

Nablus and Northern West Bank

*On 14 July, the Israeli Ministry of Defense issued an order to start working and building 25 new factories in the Ariel settlement. This project was frozen one-and-a-half years ago, during the Annapolis Conference, when the Israeli government gave promises to stop settlement activity. Spokesperson of the Ariel Settlement Municipality said: “finally we got a permit from the Ministry of Defense to work on this project. We will build 10 factories as first step and later another 25 will be built. These works are part of a big project to expand the settlement.” The Israeli Peace Now  movement condemned the Israeli Ministry’s decision. The general secretary of Peace Now, Yariv Oppenheimer, stated:  “such orders mean that all Annapolis promises are finished. This is a deep disappointment for us” (al-Ayyam newspaper, Wednesday, 16 July, No. 4490).

*On 16 July, tens of armed settlers from the Itamar settlement, to the south of Nablus, attacked and stoned some houses in the Asera al-Qibliyya village. When the residents gathered to protect their houses and to face the settlers, Israeli soldiers came and opened fire on them. They also threw tear gas at people. As a result of the aggression, windows in Jamal Yosouf Saleh and Qassem Mohammed Hasan homes were broken. According to local sources, this is not the first time that settlers from Itamar attack the village; a month ago, some settlers came and burned wheat fields near the village, injuring two residents by stones.

*On 27 July, settlers from the Itamar and Bracha settlements, in the Nablus District, burned around 40 dunam of land planted of wheat in the Boreen Palestinian village in the south of the district. The Israeli soldiers, once reaching the location, forced the settlers to leave the area and later the Palestinian Fire Brigades, which came from Nablus managed to stop the fire. One day later, settlers from the same settlements attacked the village again and burned a house belonging to Sa’eed Mahmoud el- Najjar.

*On 5 August, in the early morning, settlers from a settlement in the Salfeet District ran after shepherds from the village of Yasouf. Ten of them opened the fire on the residents and stole 25 goats belonging to Khaleel Ibraheem Khaleel, Abed- Elmu’tee Ibraheem Khaleel and Nitham Farhan Khaleel. Later the Palestinian Authority informed the Israeli side about the event, which happened in the sight of the Israeli soldiers. The mayor of the village, Abed al-Raheem Musleh, reports: “the settlers from this nearby settlement used to constantly attack our shepherds and farmers and to open fire in the streets. The victims and the PA raised many cases to Israeli authorities but nothing changed on the ground.” One day later, the stolen goats returned to the farmers.  

*On 28 August, ten settlers burned a house under construction in Boreen village to the south of Nablus. The settlers came by car and entered into a house, located to east of the village, lighting it on fire. They also cut the water pipes which supply the house. The fire was put out by fire brigades from Nablus. According to Palestinian sources in Nablus, this village, together with others in the area, became a target of settler attacks which have been well documented during the last three years.