Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 20

Israeli bulldozer began to level land in Nazla, north of the West Bank. Nazla is a part of Shofa village and is owned by the Hamid family. Nazla borders the Israeli settlement Avni Hafiz, and considering the fact that the fence surrounding Avnei Hafiz was partly dismantled also, it is apparent that the leveling is supportive of the expansion of the settlement.

In the evening hours of the same day, Israeli settlers from Gav'ot (northwest of Hebron) entered the land belonging to Nabil Ibrahim Hamdan and uprooted around 200 olive trees, which were recently planted. Clashes erupted with Palestinians who came to stop the settlers. Forces from the Israeli Border Guard and officials from the Civil Administration intervened and eventually forced the Palestinians to leave the area. The next day, Nabil Ibrahim Hamdan was summoned to the Civil Administration office, where he was told that his land had been announced to be a closed military area. He received an order not to enter his land for the next 5 days, and will be charged 3,000 NIS if he disobeys this order.

During the same day, Israeli bulldozer began building a new by-pass road, leading to Talamon settlement, on land belonging to Rass Karkar village, near Ramallah, According to Riziq Nafal, the chairman of the local village council, part of this land is owned by the Islamic Waqf.

At around 4 pm, Settlers from Hebron attacked Palestinians who were crossing a roadblock on the by-pass road 60 near Sa'er village. Jihad Suleiman, 24, who was attacked, required hospitalization.

At approximately 11 pm, Israeli settlers threw stones at houses in Ifqaqees village, west of Hebron. Several windows were broken.

Bulldozers uprooted many trees and damaged some huts used for storing agricultural tools. The land belongs to Al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem, and is close to the Ele'azer settlement. 100 of the uprooted trees are owned by Musa Nafe', 600 by Talha Darweesh.

The horse of 38 year old Aballah Serhan, from Jaljoulia village (Nablus area), escaped towards the Itziaha settlement. While Abdallah Serhan tried to run after it, Israeli settlers attacked him and his 6 and 8 year old sons with stones. His car, which he parked on the side of the road, was pushed down into a valley.

Tens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the Old City of Hebron with stones and bottles, vandalized supermarkets and shops, and destroyed goods. The Islamic Waqf office in the Old City was attacked, while the employees were prevented from leaving it. Private cars were attacked and windows smashed. (The Old City of Hebron is under control of the Israeli Authorities - Area H2). In order to prevent Palestinians from defending themselves, the Israeli authorities imposed a curfew right after the Israeli settlers started the attack.

After ten-month old Shalhevet Pass was killed by Palestinian gunfire from Abu Sneineh neighborhood in Hebron on 26th March, Israeli settlers from Avriham Avinu rioted in Downtown Hebron, and damaged 16 cars. Settlers from Kiryat Arba and other settlements joined the attack.

Abu Samir Sharabati, who lives in the Old City near Avriham Avinu settlement said that his son, Ta'esir, was shot at while Israeli settlers attacked his house. His house was subject to the settler's violence 3 times within 2 days. Tens of other homes were attacked while Israeli soldiers in the area stood by and did not prevent the settler's violence.

Many armed Israeli settlers attacked the Abu Sneineh neighborhood in Hebron. The settlers broke several windows and damaged parking cars. After entering Area H1 (under Palestinian control) in Al-Karantina, settlers attacked cars and shops, especially in the Kayyali market, and burned parts of the vegetable market. Foreign journalists were prevented from taking pictures and were attacked by the rioting settlers.

In the morning, a bus transporting female students was attacked near the French Hill settlement in East-Jerusalem. Some of the girls were injured and needed treatment in a local medical center nearby.

Israeli settlers from Itamar, in the Nablus area, uprooted around 200 olive trees and leveled 200 dunoms of agricultural land belonging to Palestinians from Beit Fourik, Salem and Bait Dajan village. One of the peasants, Abd Allatif Khatatba, said that Israeli soldiers announced this area to be a military closed zone one week prior. The settlers from Itamar are trying to expand the settlement towards this area. Abd Allatif Khatatba owns 40 dunoms of the 200 dunoms which have been destroyed.

At 4 o' clock in the morning, a group of armed Israeli settlers attacked Abu Najib Asharabati's house in the Old City of Hebron and destroyed parts of it by setting it on fire. The settlers tried to burn other houses in the area near al-Qasaba and in the area near the Ibrahim mosque. At the same time, Israeli settlers directed gunfire against houses in the area, while Israeli soldiers were present. The bullets damaged several windows.

During the day, settlers continued to burn shops in the same area, and attacked Palestinian cars. Palestinian cars from the fire forces were attacked when they reached as-Sahla. The settlers smashed the windows and wounded drivers.

Between 4 and 5 p.m., roughly 50 armed settlers penetrated into area H1 (under Palestinian control) at al-Karantina around 100 meters and attacked houses.

Israeli settlers broke in the religious Islamic court in Area H2. The court was set on fire, completely burning down, while Israeli soldiers were present.

At around 8 p.m., settlers opened fire at Ibrahim Mosha from Bani Na'eim (east of Hebron), while he was working in the fields. According to medical sources from Alia hospital, his injuries are moderate.

At 10 a.m., Israelis from Homish settlement (near Jenin) closed the main road between Nablus and Jenin for 3 hours.

At noon, Settlers from Itziaha (Nablus Area) gathered at the Bourin junction, and closed the main road to Palestinian traffic for 4 hours. This was the second time during the last 2 days that Israeli settlers blocked the Bourin junction. 2 Palestinians were injured after bottles and stones were thrown at them.

The agricultural areas in Wadi Salman, which belong to people from Beit Doqo village, west of Ramallah, are continuously polluted by sewage from the Israeli settlement Givat Ze'ev. The residents of Beit Dogo did not get an affirmative reaction to their complaints to the Israeli Civil Administration.

Settlers from Kedumin and Karny Shawron threw stones at Palestinians cars on the main road between Nablus and Kalkilya. The windows of two cars were broken, and the road was blocked for several hours.

In the evening, tens of armed Israeli settlers surrounded Hares village and directed gunfire against Palestinian houses. The settler's siege on Hares lasted for 4 hours. Several times, the settlers tried to enter the village, but did not succeed. Israeli soldiers were present but did not intervene.

Israeli army bulldozer began to level land belonging to Dair Istya village near Salfit and uprooted around 100 olive trees, in order to clear the area around a road that serves Israeli settlements. The bulldozers have yet to cease their work - as of writing this report. The Civil Administration gave orders to the families who own these lands to leave the area within one week, but the bulldozing began before the week ended, leaving the owners of the land without the possibility of going to court.

Israeli bulldozers leveled around 10 dunoms of agricultural land belonging to a family from Wad el-Rush village near Kalkilya, and confiscated the area in order to expand Elfe Manishe settlement.

Israeli settlers attacked several houses and shops in the Old City of Hebron. Among other assets destroyed, the settlers set fire to: a bakery belonging to Azmi Al Shweiki, a grocery store belonging to Issa Al Heeh, 3 grain stores belonging to Ya'qoub Ab Ramouz, a shoe store belonging to Shhadeh Samouh, and a nylon firm belonging to Abu As'sad Salaymeh. The settlers burned the house belonging to Nabil Al-Halabi near the Beit Hadasa settlement. Another shop belonging to Abed Hai-Kasrawi was looted and the goods thrown on the street.

In Ash-Shi'aba neighborhood in Hebron, settlers from Kiryat Arba burned parking cars, one car belonging to Wahid Kafisha.

At 1 o' clock in the morning, settlers exploded gas cylinders that they placed at the doors to three shops in the Old City of Hebron, causing the total destruction of these shops. The explosion destroyed also the roofs and walls of the above shops, as well as burning their interiors and destroying their contents. After the incident, the IDF bulldozed the devastated stores on Al Sahleh Street and expanded the bulldozing so as to establish a yard adjacent to the Avriham Avino settlement.

Settlers from Shadmot Maholla, in the Jordan valley near Tubas, destroyed agricultural lands and glass houses belonging to 'Isam Amin Foqaha, Anwar Mohammad Foqaha and Awad Mohammad Foqaha, and stole a pump used for irrigation.

Around one hundred Israeli settler attacked Kufa-Eddik village near Salfit, opened gunfire at the direction of the houses, and burned a house belonging to Fahir 'Oda and a car belonging to Ra'ed Jomia, while Israeli soldiers were present.

Mahdiayya Mustafa 'Asi, 60 years old, from Bidya village was wounded while Israeli settlers from Kedumin attacked her and her son by throwing stones at their car. She was taken to Rahidya hospital, in Nablus.

Arhala Tzor, the chairman of the settler's council in Gaza, reported that on April 2nd, the Minister of Defense, Benjamin Eliezer, approved a decision to build new housing units in Dogid settlement in the north of the Gaza Strip (in order to replace the mobile house units with fixed ones). Shalom Samhon, the Minister of Agriculture, announced, that he is going to sell water to this settlement at a very low price.

Israeli Bulldozer, under protection of the army, started to build a new by-pass road east of Ramallah, linking Beit El settlement with the main by-pass road leading to Jerusalem. According to Khalil Manna', chairman of the village council of E'ne Jabroud, the building of the road was initiated 3 years ago, but was stopped shortly afterwards. The function of this road is clearly, and exclusively, to extend the system of Israeli-controlled bypass roads surrounding Ramallah. The settlement is already linked.

The Israeli Housing Ministry spokeperson said that the Ministry published, via Israeli Media, the building of 496 housing units in Ma'ale Adumin in the Greater Jerusalem Area, and 200 in Alfe Menashe Settlement near Kalkilya.