Settler Violence and Occupation Watch: Report LXXIV
15th - 30th September 2004
Settlers' Attacks
Hebron Region - On 17 September, settlers from Kiryat Arba and other
outposts in the down town of Hebron attacked residents' houses in Beyar
Mahawer and Wad Nassara south of Kiryat Arba. The settlers gathered in
the morning on the south gate of the settlement and walked in the
street inside the Palestinians section, throwing stones on the houses
and the people who were in the streets at that time. The houses of
Na'eem Da'na, Imad Da'na and Mohmmoud Abu Saif were stoned. The
families stated that this happened in sight of the soldiers, who do
nothing to stop them. In the afternoon of the same day, the settlers
from Abraham Avino outpost near the mosque threw stones on the house of
Tayseer Salhab, located near the outpost; his seven year old daughter
Raneen was injured in the face. She was treated in the nearby clinic. - On 19 September, five young settlers from Beit Hadasa
in the down town of Hebron ran after the students from the Qurtoba
Elementary School for girls, located near this outpost. The settlers
threw stones on the students while they walked home after class. The
attacks of settlers against students in this school is well known and
for several years now the Christian Peace Makers Team (CPT) members
make some kind of daily protection for students when they go to and
leave the school. - On 20 September, settlers from the Ramat Yashai
outpost renewed their attacks on Tayseer Abu Aisha. Abu Aisha reports
that "the settlers threw stones on my house in the evening; this is
daily action for the settlers in the last three months. The soldiers
who were near the checkpoint and saw what happened as usual do nothing
to stop the settlers." - On 21 September, the settlers from Ma'oon settlement
southeast of Yatta took over 7 dunams in the north of the settlement.
The settlers uprooted the trees in the land, leveled it with 7
bulldozers, then they fenced it in order to expand the border of the
settlement. The land belongs to the Shawaheen family. - On 27 September, tens of settlers from Kiryat Arba
renewed their attacks on residents' houses in the west and south of the
settlement. According to local families, the attacks took place in
waves during the entire night. Zakareyya Jaber reports that "the
settlers came and tried to set up tents that they brought from the
settlement in the land located in the west of Kiryat Arba, the soldiers
prevented them from doing this and some clashes happened between them
and the settlers. After that the settlers divided into groups and
started to throw stones on the residentss houses in the west and south
of the settlement. Many houses were stoned and some windows glasses
were broken. The houses belong to Khalawi Ja'bari, Abed Herbawi, Rafik
da'na Abed el Kareem Ja'bari and Zakareyya Jaber in Wad Husain area, in
addition to the houses of Kamel Botee, Ahmad As'ad Jaber, No'mad Da'na,
and Mohmmoud Jaber Monder Da'na in Wad Nasara. The settlers also closed
the streets by big stones and the bodies of junk cars. North of West Bank - On 21 September, two settlers from Itamar attacked
the farmer Mustafa Khatatbeh, 38, from the Bait Foriq village with
stones and gun butts. Khatatbeh was taken to the hospital and his
situation is very serious. Khatatebeh reports "I went in the morning to
my field to pick the figs, two armed settlers came from the direction
of Itamar settlement and started beating me with stones and the butts
of guns on my head and hands. After 15 minuets they left the place. My
body was full of blood. I tried to walked but I couldn't. A woman from
my village saw me while I was on the ground and she called the people
from the village. I was taken to the hospital in Nablus. - On 27 September, Sa'el Mustafa Jebara, 46, from the
Salem village east of Nablus was killed when a settler from Alon Moreh
settlement opened fire on him while he was driving his taxi to the
Nassareyya village in the valley area. Eyewitness said that "when Sa'el
reached the junction on the main road he stopped his taxi to turn into
the Nassariyya village. At this moment a settler was waiting at the
junction and his red Mazda car stopped near him. The settler came
quickly to Sa'el's car and at 2 meters he opened fire directly on Sa'el
chest, which caused immediate death. The settler then went in the
direction of the settlement. The residents took Sa'el to the hospital,
where doctors pronounced his. - On 28 September, the settlers from Ma'ali Shomron and
the outpost near it uprooted tens of olive trees in the land belonging
to the Mara'ba and Odeh families from the Kofr Tholth village in
Qalqilya district. Husain el Saifee, the mayor of the village, reports
that "the settlers uprooted the trees in order to take over the land
and to expand the settlement fence at the exepense of residents land. Land Confiscation The work in building the Separation Wall in west of
Hebron is continuing in the Bait Awwa and Sekka villages. More than two
hundred dunams were leveled and hundreds of trees were uprooted.
Numerous demonstrations with the support of the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM) are occurring here. Many ISM members and
residents were beaten and injured in the last two weeks by soldiers'
attacks. - On 26 September, the army prevented the farmers from
the Kofr Sor village and villages in the south of Tulkarem from
reaching their land on the other side of the Separation Wall. The
soldiers who had been on the Wall gate near the Sal'eet settlement
closed the Gate and forced tens of farmers to go homes. The farmers are
taking these aggressions seriously, especially now that the olive
harvest season is coming.
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