On Wednesday, 14 February 2024, four settlers arrived at Wadi ‘Abayat and tried to enter the Sawarkah family tent, while Ibrahim Sawarkah was home with his wife and eight children. Ibrahim Sawarkah (38) blocked their way and demanded they leave. The settlers did leave, but returned about 15 minutes later with clubs and 10 dogs. The family hid inside the tent and called the police, who promised to send soldiers to the scene.
The settlers punctured the tires of the family’s tractor and car and smashed the car’s windows. They entered the tent, pepper sprayed the mother in the face and left. At the same time, a settlement guard arrived at the scene and blocked the way to the family’s home with his car. Soldiers arrived about 20 minutes later and simply let the settlers leave. The soldiers asked Sawarkah what had happened and left after he told them.
The next morning, Thursday, 15 February 2024, soldiers arrived at the family’s home in a military jeep, demanded Ibrahim Sawarkah’s ID card, handcuffed him, blindfolded him and put him in the jeep. The soldiers took him to the Etzion police station, where he was held for several hours and then interrogated by police officers for allegedly having assaulted a settler. The police then released him, and he found out relatives had taken his wife, children and the family’s flock to their home in al-Maniyah, north of Kisan, and had towed the family’s tractor there too.
The family spent the night in al-Maniyah. When Ibrahim Sawarkah went home the next day, he discovered settlers had torched his tent and car. As a result, the family was forced to remain in al-Maniyah.
