Sufian Abu Hatah , 41

I live with my family in an old, two-story, six-room house in the a-Saleymeh neighborhood. My children range in age from three and a half to twenty-one. I used to work as a laborer, but now I am unemployed.

One of the entrances to our house is adjacent to the path leading from Kiryat Arba to the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The army opened the path, which is intended for settler use, two years ago. Another entrance to our house is on the other side. We use both entrances.

Last Saturday [27 January], at around 8:00 P.M., I was riding a neighbor's horse on my way home. I rode along the path I mentioned. I was about 150 meters from my house when I saw a group of more than thirty settler men and women throwing stones at Dahud Jabber's store, which is adjacent to my house. The settlers were young, from about fifteen to thirty years old. Among them were four girls who always attack people. I know them well. One of them has a dark-brown complexion and is tall. I also saw two army jeeps and about ten soldiers.

Jabber quickly closed his store. I wanted to go home, but one of the soldiers told me to wait a few minutes. Another soldier told me to return to where I had been. I told him that I was on my way home, and had no other place to go. I waited a while. The settlers walked toward the mosque, and I rode the horse toward the second entrance to my house. When I approached it, I heard my two daughters and wife shouting. I saw a few settlers leave the house, and soldiers standing in front of the door. When I got inside, I saw my wife, my daughters, and two of our neighbors – the wife of Ishak Jabber and her daughter. They were all shouting. The women said that the settlers had knocked on the iron door, entered, and tried to assault the family. They said that the boys tried to stop them, and within a few minutes managed to remove the settlers from the house.

My son Muhammad, 19, went outside after the settlers. The soldiers ordered him to go with them to the concrete blocks around thirty meters from the house. I went outside and told the soldiers, "Why did you take my son?" The officer came over to me and said I had nothing to worry about, that they were going to ask him some questions and then bring him back home. Muhammad returned in about ten minutes. He said that the soldiers asked him why he was causing problems. Muhammad told them that he and his family were at home and the settlers broke in and assaulted them.

Fifteen minutes later, the soldiers came and knocked on the door. One of them told us not to repeat what we had done to the settlers. When I heard that, I tried to close the door. The soldier held the door and tried to prevent me from closing it. I moved his hand and closed the door. Twenty minutes later, an officer came to the house. My son 'Abd spoke with him. The officer apologized to him for what happened. He shook his hand and wished him good night. I did not file a complaint with the police because none of us was hurt, and we know that filing complaints doesn't help.

The ten soldiers who were nearby when the settlers broke into the house could have stopped them. I don't think the settlers would attack us and enter our homes if they didn't know the soldiers would protect them.

The Israeli army restricts our freedom of movement, primarily on Fridays and Saturday nights. They don't let us enter our house via the entrance by the path the settlers use. We manage to enter only after arguing with them or when they are not looking.

Sufian 'Abd a-Rahman Abu Hatah, 40, married with nine children, unemployed, resident of Hebron. His testimony was given to Musa Abu Hashhash at the witness's home on 31 January 2007.