Khallet Makhul, Jordan Valley: Settlers harass Palestinians picking herbs and call soldiers, who detain them

In the morning hours of 31 January 2020, a group of settlers, some riding an ATV, came to an area near the community where three residents of Tayasir were picking gundelia [Arabic: ‘aqub]. The settlers surrounded the three, summoned soldiers and claimed that the Palestinians had come to the area to steal. The soldiers detained the three residents and questioned them while the settlers swore at them and tried to attack them. Israeli police officers arrived and informed the three that they were not allowed to be there, and drove them to the area of Marj Na’jah.

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Israel’s regime of apartheid and occupation is inextricably bound up in human rights violations. B’Tselem strives to end this regime, as that is the only way forward to a future in which human rights, democracy, liberty and equality are ensured to all people, both Palestinian and Israeli, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, Israel has acted in a coordinated and deliberate manner to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip, committing genocide against its residents. In light of Israel’s actions in Gaza, the public statements made by Israeli decision-makers, and the international community’s failure to take effective action, there is a serious risk that the Israeli regime will expand the genocide to other areas under its control—first and foremost, the West Bank.
B’Tselem calls on the Israeli public and the international community to use every tool available under international law to bring an immediate end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.