Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 24

* Palestinian agricultural lands and crops were demolished and burned before summer harvesting

An estimated loss of one of the farms in Qalqilya was calculated at 300,000 NIS.

* Over 300 olive trees uprooted

A group of settlers attacked the village of Hares in the Salfit district. They burned down around 20 olive trees located at the main entrance west of the village. Following, the settlers attacked the house of Muhammad Ali `Ahel, damaging 2 windows by stones.

Settlers from Ma'ale Mikhmas and Rimonim east of Ramallah levelled about 15 dunams of agricultural land and of wheat crops. It is currently the season to harvest wheat. The land belongs to families from Deir Dubwan village. According to the mayor of the village, Radi Ghanam, a group of armed settlers succeeded in burning the wheat in spite of the fact that the residents of the village informed the soldiers about what was going on. The soldiers did not interfere.

The Israeli Authority confiscated about 50 dunams of land belonging to Shaheen Khalil from Elefridis village east of Bethlehem. The area named Khal Al-Kheir is to be connected to the Nokdim Settlement. Two weeks ago the settlers established a new point adjacent to Khal Al-Kheir on land named Runam, belonging to residents of the Taqua' village.

Settlers from Beitar Ilit began to dump their sewage and trash from the main wheel of the settlement on the agricultural land belonging to families from Hussan and Nahalim villages east of Bethlehem during the morning hours. This caused the damage of many agricultural plants, in particular summer agriculture such as tomatoes, cucumber etc.

Farmers have been facing such incidents every summer.

Bulldozers started damaging trees near the Jani-Tall settlement north of Gaza. It seems to be the first step to expand the fence around the settlement.

A group of young (around 15 years) armed settlers from Avraham Avinu settlement in the H2 area of Hebron attacked Palestinian houses and shops. In addition, they established a patrol to watch and circle through H2, in particular in the Souk Al-Llaban and the Al-Kasaba sections. At the same time around 10 settlers from Kiryat Arba settlement close to Hebron attacked a number of houses in the Al-Baq'a area. They broke the windows of both houses and cars.

At noon a group of settlers closed the main road between Jerusalem and Hebron at 3 locations simultaneously: near Kfar Etzion, near Neve Daniel and near Efrat settlements. The settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars, damaging 10 cars and injuring a driver from Hebron.

Settlers from Ma'ale Luban settlement near the Sinjil village north of Ramallah uprooted around 300 olive trees belonging to Abdallah Asfur, Hussein Asfur, Sa'al Awad Khalil and Wajih Hamad Samra. The settlers also attacked the west area of the village during the night cutting down trees with electric saws. Clashes took place subsequent. The previous night the settlers attacked a construction factory belonging to Muhammad Kayed. They damaged the crane, burned it afterwards and damaged 2 containers by bulldozers.

After a settler, an officer in the IDF, was killed in the Ramallah area, about 100 settlers attacked Deir Nisam village. According to eyewitnesses the settlers arrived in 40 cars and parked on the main road. The house of Muhammad Hussein, 57 was attacked. Hussein was beaten up, and the interior of the house and all the windows of his Ford Transit were damaged. As the settlers were attacking more of the homes, the people of the village were encouraged by loudspeakers to go out and defend their houses. They forced the settlers to leave. All this happened while tens of soldiers, stationed in the area following the killing, were witnessing without interfering.

During the night tens of settlers stopped their cars in opposite of the Al-Arub camp in the Hebron area. They started shooting on the houses, mainly the ones close to the road. At that time the soldiers stationed behind a hill close to the camp directed heavy gunfire at the camp. The soldiers were not able to see the settlers from their position. The shooting lasted for about forty minutes and caused damage to 10 houses (bullets penetrated and passed through houses). No injuries were reported.

Settlers from Asfur settlement east of Sa'ir and Shoyoukh villages burned down about 30 dunams of wheat, belonging to the Abu `Eid family. According to the mayor of Shouk village, Yusef Haleika, this land is the main source of income for this family. The mayor filled a complaint to the DCO (the joint Israeli- Palestinian committee). The owner of the land, Fais Abu `Eid reported to the AIC: "We went to our land in the morning, worked there and spend the entire day there until the afternoon. At that time I saw around 20 settlers gathering and sitting near our land. I thought they were on a trip as they had drinks and foodstuffs. with them. After we left, and were about a kilometer away from the land, we saw the fire and the smoke. We returned to our land facing the settlers aiming their guns. The land was already burned down".

Settlers started to build a new settlement point on the land belonging to the Nabi Saleh village north west of Ramallah. According to eyewitnesses, the settlers leveled the land and brought 3 caravans to the site and one more the day after. A few days later the army established a new military point there.

Around 70 settlers from Neve Daniel, south of Al-Khader, participated in a march in the afternoon walking towards Al- Khader. The settlers raised slogans against Arabs, closed the road and threw stones at Palestinian cars. The glass of 4 car's windows were broken. The road remained closed to Palestinians for about an hour.

Settlers from various settlements in the area of Ma'ale Mukhmas attacked the agricultural land of Abud and Deir Nisam villages. They burned down dozens of olive trees belonging to Abud. This is the third time the settlers attack this area in one week.

Bulldozers began the construction of a new settlement road for the Moraq settlement south of Khan Yunis. According to one of the owners of the land, Ibrahim Al-Najer 1 bulldozer and 2 tanks came from the settlement in the morning. The bulldozer guarded by the tanks started leveling the land. They damaged agricultural land belonging to Ibrahim Al-Najer and Hamed Al-Najer. The road is suppose to surround the settlement expanding its border (this is often the first step in expanding the settlement itself).

On this day the celebration of "Jerusalem Day" took place, to commemorate the conquering of the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 war. Marches and celebrations took place throughout Jerusalem with thousands of settlers from all around the West Bank and Gaza participating.

One of the celebrations took place at the Yeshiva settlement on the Mount of Olives. During the night the settlers had a firework show near the Mormon University. The Firework fell down further up the hill setting fire to an area of grass belonging to the Lutheran World Federation. The security of the Augusta Victoria Hospital called the firefighters who spend almost two hours controlling the fire. According to Craig Kippels, the Lutheran World Federation representative, such incidents happens every year on "Jerusalem Day", without the municipality interfering.

Complaints had been forwarded to the fire department and the municipality. Craig Kippels has also repeatedly requested the noise from the celebrations to be kept down because the area is a hospital area. The response Craig and his attorney received from the police was: "Well, it is Jerusalem Day".

Settlers from Kadumim threw stones at Palestinian cars on the main road between Qalqilya and Nablus. Wajd' Shneweh, 32 was injured in his head while driving his car.

Settlers also threw stones on the Jit School in Kufr Kadum village. Many windows of the school were broken.

In the afternoon Jamal Emran Ishhada, 32 was taken to the Aliya' hospital after he had been beaten up by settlers from Kiryat Arba. The beating by stones and metal sticks caused injuries at various places on Ishada's body, especially on his head and back. The event happened while he was returning back from work to his house located near the settlement.

At the same time and place the same settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars on bypass road 60 running by the settlement.

Settlers from Tapuah settlement north of the West Bank set fire to 25 olive trees belonging to the people of Iskaka village.

Settlers threw chemical spray on the land of a large farm belonging to Mahadi `Ata Abel Karim from Qalqilya. Around 30.000 plants ready for out-planting were destroyed. The loss, estimated by engineers working at the location is predicted at about 300.000 NIS.