Alternative Information Center - Settler Violence Report 51

Residents of the village Twani, south of Hebron, could not reach their olive orchards and pick their fruits due to settlers? attacks. The residents attempted to reach their fields between October 20 and October 26, but settlers from Mao?n prevented them with armed threats. Jamal El-Rabe?i, a farmer, said that they witnessed settlers wandering around on their lands, especially during the evenings, picking the olives. When the residents were finally allowed by the army to reach their lands, they found that the fruit was picked. These lands are approximately 30 Dunams and belong to Salman Jebreen El-Rabe?i, Ahmad Jebreen El-Rabe?I, Eisa Ahmad El-Rabe?i, Joma?h Musa El-Rabe?i, and Eisa Jebreen El-Rabe?i.

The settlers from this settlement and the outposts in the area constantly assault the residents of the village, attack their fields and prevent people from reaching their lands to farm them.

Palestinian families living in Tal Romida, where the settlement Admot Ishai is located, have been suffering from constant harassment by the settlers, both from this settlement and other settlements located in the old city. The assaults happen mostly during evening hours, while the Palestinian residents are under curfew. The settlers wander around the streets throwing stones at Palestinian houses.

On October 26, a number of settlers threw stones at Palestinian houses in Tal Romida, damaging the houses of Abu-Haykal and Abu-E?isha families.

Rajaa? Abu-E?isha, 12, said that while she was playing with her friends beside their house, a small number of settlers approached and set their dogs on them, from which they had to run to their homes to escape.

Further, settlers stoned the homes of Munther Da?ana and his father while soldiers were on search operations in the neighborhood.

Five settlers from Asfar, north to Hebron, have been preventing Palestinian farmers from the villages Sai?r and Al-Shiokh from reaching their lands. Farmers from the Al-Shalaldeh family attempted to reach their lands several times during the past two weeks, however they were prevented on each occasion by threats from five armed settlers.

Last July, lands at this area were razed, trees burnt and the fences protecting these lands were destroyed.

Eiad Al-Shalaldeh stated that subsequent to being prevented by the settlers from reaching their lands, they turned to the soldiers at the nearby army post to complain. The army agreed to protect the residents, however, on condition that only elderly persons would come and solely for the picking of olives. Eiad says that this worries them, as it denies them access to their lands and conditions their rights to the whim of the army and settlers.

Nablus region and the north of West Bank

On October 17 the farmer Freej Thawabteh, 54, from Azmoot, east to Nablus, and his family were picking olives in their orchards near the settlement Alon Moreh. In the early afternoon, four armed settlers approached the family, forcing them to leave their land, and threatening them not to come back to the land. Moreover, the settlers stole the harvested olives.

On October 19, Saleh Thawabteh and his family, from the village Azmmot, were picking olives in his orchard near the bypass road to Alon Moreh, when a group of seven armed settlers approached and started shooting in the air. This terrified the family, forcing them to flee the olive grove. As they were running off, they witnessed the settlers in the process of stealing both the harvested olives and the equipment used for harvesting. The settlers also attacked Morad A?amer, 12, when he refused to leave. Following the shooting, three army jeeps came to the area and ordered the Palestinians to leave.

The farmer Amad Abd-El-Jabar, from the village Salem, east to Nablus, who owns about 50 Dunams of olive orchards near the settlement Alon Moreh could not reach his land to pick the olives. He said that he witnessed one group of settlers picking his olives while another group stood by as armed guards.

Last year, Ahmad could pick the olives in his fields only after Israeli and international activists helped picking them.

The farmer Avd-ElKarim Hussien from the village Deir El-Hatab, east to Nablus, said that he and many other farmers from the village were attacked by settlers who threatened and shot in the air while they were working in their fields, close to the bypass road leading to the settlement Alon Moreh .

A group of about ten settlers from Bracha have stolen the olives of Palestinians from the village of Kufr Qalil, south of Nablus. The olives, belonging to the farmer O?mar Sabri, are from an orchard of 300 olive trees close to the settlement. Sabri says that he saw the settlers picking his olives and breaking the branches off the trees for five days. However, because the settlers were armed, he could not enter his land.

On October 19, settlers attacked Ahmad Safadi, a farmer from O?reef, and his family and other farmers from the village. Seven armed settlers, riding on horses came to the fields and opened fire in the air above people?s heads, forcing them to flee their lands, also leaving the fruits they?ve already picked and the tools they use in picking. The residents waited at some distance, but when they came back to at least take what they have picked, they found that the settlers had stole it all. Safadi says that he believes the settlers came from Yitzhar.

Nafeth Rashdan, mayor of Inbus, south of Nablus, stated that the local council received numerous complaints about settler assaults on the farmers, preventing them from picking their olives, and, moreover, about settlers? stealing the olives.

Farmers from the village Almogir, east of Ram Allah could not reach some of their fields and pick the olives. Armed settlers from Shilo and the nearby settlements threatened the farmers and prevented them from entering their fields, claiming the confiscated land for the settlement?s use.

A few months ago the settlers and army uprooted tens of trees in that area in order to expand the settlement.

Land confiscation and the Separation Wall

On October 26 a group of soldiers marked out about 70 Dunams of land west of the settlement Kharsina. The land that was marked belongs to the families Al-qumiri, Da?na, A?sili, Morar and Al-Hadad. In some places the marking is only few meters away from the families' homes. It seems that the marking is aimed at expanding the settlement to the north following the opening a few weeks ago, of a new bypass road.

Abd El-Hadi Hantash from the Land Defense Committee states that this area has often suffered from land confiscation, but that the new marking is going to lead to a situation in which some of the houses will be only few meters from the settlement?s fence and houses. The strange thing about this action is that the land owners were not informed about it beforehand at all. The Land Defense Committee intends to turn to the Israeli courts about this case.