The barn torched by the settlers. Photo courtesy of the family
On Saturday, 7 December 2024, around 12:30 P.M., four settlers arrived in the Wad al-Abeid community and surrounded the home of Ahmad Tarawah (40), while he and his family were inside. The family members immediately called the Palestinian DCO, which informed the Israeli DCO. Ahmad Tarawah saw two of the settlers slashing two water tanks, then all four went to a structure the family uses as an animal feed barn, stayed there for 15 minutes, then set it on fire and left. A military jeep and a police car arrived only after the settler left. The police officers inspected the damage, took pictures of it, and suggested the family file a complaint at the police station. Tarawah filed a complaint at the police station in the settlement of Beitar Illit the next day.
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.
