SETTLER VIOLENCE
THE SETTLERS ENJOY TOTAL IMPUNITY. WHY SHOULD THEY BE AFRAID WHEN THEIR GOVERNMENT PROTECTS THEM AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SITS QUIETLY AND WATCHES?
TAHSEEN ELAYYAN, AL-HAQ
When Medhat realised that his fields were on fire, he called on the settler for help, completely unsuspecting what would happen next.
The settler headed towards him, whilst 3 others — with clubs in their hands — headed toward his cousins. And whilst his cousins were able to run away, Medhat's handicapped leg meant there was no escape for him.
He tried convincing them to help extinguish the fire. But instead of helping, they tied his hands behind his back and proceeded to punch him, slap him and hit him with the clubs.
They then tied him to a nearby electricity pole and continue the beating whilst soldiers, just 15m away, did nothing to stop them.
Physical injuries. Insecurity. Psychological problems. Social distress. Impeded access to education and services. Displacement. Loss of homes, land, resources, assets and livelihoods.
This is what Palestinians suffer in what has come to be known as "settler violence".
Settlers are the Israelis who pro-actively & illegally colonise Palestinian land. Whilst many are "economic settlers" enjoying financial incentives, many others are "ideological settlers" who believe that the land is theirs, that Palestinians are foreigners and that violence towards them is acceptable.
They attack Palestinians with clubs, knives and rifle butts, regardless of their age, gender or, in the case of women, whether they are pregnant or not.
Armed with guns, they throw stones at Palestinians, drive at them with cars and shoot at them with live ammunition. They even invade homes, destorying furniture, shattering glass and attacking residents.
They destroy, vandalise and burn cars, homes, mosques, churches, farms and public service buildings. They kill and steal animals. They bath in or contaminate water wells that Palestinians use for drinking. They even attack schools, like those in Urif village that were attacked 5 times in the first six months of 2013.
Israeli forces are often complicit in their attacks and do very little (if anything) to defend Palestinians from their violence.
And when Palestinians defend themselves, Israeli forces use tear gas, rubber-coated metal bullets and live ammunition to disperse them.
Israeli police launch investigations only when complaints are officially filed by the victims, despite there being bureaucratic and physical obstacles to doing so, and 91 percent of complaints filed are closed on the grounds of "perpetrator unknown" or "lack of evidence".
We used to go to our land all the time, not only for farming but simply to be there, to enjoy it. Each of my children has planted their own trees and flowers. Now my youngest daughter, Rahani, who's eight, tells me, "Dad, don’t go to the land. I don’t want you to die."
Fathalla Abu RidaI fell down, and they dragged me by my legs around 25 meters to their jeep. They tied my hands behind me, and a settler said, "I want to hit him". And the soldier let him hit me in the head with a rock. Then the soldiers blindfolded me and threw me in the jeep, on the floor.
Ammar MesamirThen he picked up a big rock, went to the rear of the ambulance, and threw it at the left side of the rear window, shattering it. The rock landed inside the ambulance. Then he picked up another rock, a smaller one this time, and threw it at the rear door, and it, too, landed in the ambulance. The shattered glass flew into the ambulance and onto the bed.
Shaher MujahedIf a Palestinian comes and throws a stone, you can immediately start shooting in the air and throwing stun grenades at him, doing a thousand and one other things and no one will say a word. But you can't do anything to a Jew. You can only try to catch a settler and remove him with force. And normally, the Jews who live there know the soldiers’ tactics.
Israeli Soldier (Breaking the Silence)Being pregnant, I couldn't run fast. After about one hundred meters, the settlers caught me. One of them hit me in my right arm and left leg with his stick. The other settler threw a stone at me, which hit me in the left leg. Then one of them pushed me, and I fell onto some thorns. My arm and leg hurt a lot. I remained there, crying. I was in terrible pain.
Roqaya al-HazalinThey always have the army with them, and when the young Palestinians in the village start throwing stones back, the army attacks the village. It works every time. The settlers know that if they start, the army will finish up, and much more brutally than they can manage. And they know nothing will happen to them – even if they’re arrested, the case will be closed, they’ll never get indicted.
Reut Mor
