Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 46

On July 10, about 40 armed settlers from Qiryat Arba? attacked the house of Hassan Da?na from Hebron, close to the south-east fence of the settlement. The settlers threw stones that shattered the windows of Da?na?s home, leaving his family traumatized.

On July 10, settlers from Sensanah aided by the Israeli border police, prevented the residents of the village of A?rab Al-Ramadin from reaching their fields, in close proximity to the settlement. This action was repeated over several days, convincing the residents of the village that the settlers are aiming at annexing the lands to the settlement that was established 3 years ago.

On July 14, about 50 settlers from Kiryat Arba? fenced lands belonging to the Da?ana family. When the family tried to stop them, settlers attacked members of the family with sticks and stones causing injury to Yazid Kaid Da?na, 10, who was taken to Muhamad Al-Muhtaseb hospital for treatment.

On July 11, a group of settlers from Yitzhar abducted A?atef Muhamad Safadi, 11, Abd-El-Rahim Najeh Shehadeh, 12, and Abd-El-Rahim Shehadeh, 14, from the village of O?orif and took them to the settlement that is about 2 km from the village. After five hours and following the army?s interference, the children were released. The children reported that they were beaten by the settlers.

Wajeh Safadi, from the village witnessed the abduction. He said that the children were playing about 50 meters away from his house, which lies on the northern edge of the village, when three armed settlers attacked the children, threatened them with weapons, tied their hands and took them to the settlement.

Fakhry Safadi, a member of the local council, reported that the villagers are nervous of this incident recurring in the future due to the settlement?s proximity to the village.

On July 11, a settler from Shilo ran over and killed Yazeed Ibrahim Khalil, 9, as the settler was over speeding. Abd-Allah Abu Ras, the mayor of the village, reported that the settlers constantly drive over the speed limit on this road without giving consideration to the safety of pedestrians from the village who use it, particularly school children.

The uncle of the deceased child said that he believes this was an intended murder because while the police was investigating the accident, a settler from Shilo said that this is in revenge for the murder of a child from the settlement last year. He said that the case is still under investigation by the police, although the villagers don?t believe the settler will be punished for his crime.

On July 14, tens of settlers effectively blocked the road of Wadi El-Salqa in protest against opening the road for Palestinian traffic as part of implementing the Road Map. The settlers set up a tent in the middle of the road and attacked passing Palestinian cars, breaking the widows of many.

~ Land confiscation and the Separation Wall ~

Many residents of the village of Qafeen received a military order to confiscate 500 dunums of their lands in order to expand the nearby settlement of Harmesh. In fact, the army and settlers are working together to fence the area in preparation for expansion.

Ibrahim Katane, the mayor of the village, reports that most of the lands are planted with olives and orchards, the main source of livelihood for many people of the village. Other parts of the village?s lands have been disconnected because of the fence, serving as an obstacle for the owners to access their farmlands.

At the end of last month, another 600 dunums of the village?s lands were confiscated for the purpose of building the separation wall. Until today, a total of 6,000 dunums of the village?s lands have been confiscated.

Settlers from Qiryat Arba? took over about 10 dunums of the lands of the Da?na family living south-east of the settlement by expanding the fences of the settlement.

Samih Da?na says that the settlers have been coming to the lands repeatedly, attacking the homes of families living in the area and threatening them with weapons, in an attempt to force them to leave.

On July 15 the settlers worked on the lands with bulldozers, but when the family called the police for help, the police accused the family of assaulting the settlers.

Settlers from Sensanah south of Aldaheria began to construct a road around the settlement.

Hasan Al-Zgarneh, a member of the local council, says that a month ago the settlers marked off about 500 dunums of land belonging to Palestinians from A?rab Al-Ramadin in order to construct the road. Work on opening the road was underway throughout all of last week. At the same time, settlers and boarder police have been preventing residents from accessing their lands for the purpose of farming and shepherding their live stock.