Jamal a-Nawaj'a, farmer

I live in Susiya with my wife, Sanaa, 18, and our two daughters, one who is two years old and the other seven months old. I am a farmer and have a flock of sheep and goats that I graze on land near my house. My mother, 'Alia, who is sixty years old, lives next to us, as do my brother 'Ali, 35, his wife, Samiha, 40, and their seven children.

On Monday, 13 March, in the morning, Samiha and I were grazing my flock on grazing land about 500 meters east of the village. To the west, we saw some farmers, men and women, planting olive trees on their land. I know that Arik, of Rabbis for Human Rights, donated the seedlings to the farmers. People from Tayyush were working with the farmers. I saw army jeeps, soldiers, and groups of settlers. All of them were bothering the farmers in their work.

Samiha and I continued grazing the flock. Five settlers came over to us. One of them stopped me, and we got into an argument. He wanted us to leave the area, but I refused. I remembered that my wife and mother were at home alone. I was afraid that the settlers would attack them, so I asked Samiha to stay with the flock, and I rushed home, getting there around 11:00 A.M. I saw about ten settlers throwing stones at my mother and wife. To protect them, I began to throw stones at the settlers. Some of the settlers had clubs, and all of them were throwing stones. They came closer to us and in no time at all surrounded us and began to kick and beat me with the clubs. I fell to the ground, and they continued to beat me. My mother and wife screamed for help.

About half an hour later, while I was still on the ground, soldiers and journalists came running toward us. The settlers fled. An army jeep began to chase after them, and a few minutes later, the jeep came to our tent. Amir, from the Civil Administration, and two of the settlers who had assaulted us were in the jeep. My mother gave Amir two skullcaps that had fallen from settlers' heads during the attack. A few moments later, a large contingent of soldiers, Border Police, and regular Police arrived. Some of the farmers who had been planting the seedlings also came. Samiha was among them. Everybody gathered at the entrance to my home. Samiha told us that three settlers attacked her and the flock after I left.

An argument broke out between us and the soldiers and police officers, and then the Police told us to go to the Police station in Kiryat Arba to file a complaint. Some people from Tayyush drove me, Samiha, and my mother to the stationhouse. An investigator who introduced himself as "Salomon" questioned me. He accused me of assaulting the settlers and gave me a summons to appear in court in June. At 10:30 at night, Ezra, from Tayyush, came to the stationhouse and took us home. On the way, we stopped off in Yata, where I received medical treatment for the bruises I had sustained in the beating.

Jamal Isma'il Salameh a-Nawaj'a, 24, married with two children, is a farmer and a resident of Susiya, Hebron District
His testimony was given to Musa Abu Hashhash at the witness's home on 23 March 2006.