On Sunday morning, 7 February 2021, Muhammad Ahmad (50) discovered that settlers had cut down 30 30-year-old olive trees, as well as three seven-year-old olive trees. The plot lies about 500 meters north of Kafr a-Dik. Two weeks before the incident, on 23 January 2021, settlers cut down some 120 olive seedlings and damaged an agricultural structure on nearby land belonging to a farmers from Kafr a-Dik.

The settlement of Bruchin was established about 500 meters from the affected residents’ farmland.

On Sunday, 7 February 2021, in the evening hours, Saber Rab’i (50), a resident of Yatta, arrived at his plot and discovered that settlers had uprooted some 20 two-year-old olive seedlings. Rab’i’s plot lies several hundred meters west of the village of a-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills.  

The settlement outpost of Havat Ma’on was established a few meters from the plot. 

The 10 members of the Abu ‘Eishah family live in the neighborhood of Tel Rumeidah in Hebron. Their home is sadly known as “the cage house,” as they had to install bars and screens on the doors and windows to protect themselves from settlers. The house lies far from the other Palestinian homes in the neighborhood. In 1984, the urban settlement of Admot Yishai was established right by to it. Since then, the family has suffered incessant harassment by settlers and by the military.

On Saturday, 6 February 2021, at around 8:00 P.M., Rima (54) and Taysir (59) Abu ‘Eishah were walking home with their son Haitham (13). After they crossed a checkpoint and a gate the military erected near their home, they encountered five teens from the settlement and three soldiers. One of the settlers followed the family and attacked Haitham, punching him in the head, and then fled. The soldiers made no attempt to stop him and called the police. Police officers arrived some 15 minutes later and took the father and son to the police station to file a complaint.  

In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari, Haitham Abu ‘Eishah recounted the assault by his home:

We’re the only Palestinian family that lives here. The settlers here attack us all the time, especially on Fridays and Saturdays and on Jewish holidays.  

Yesterday, on our way home, after we crossed the Mash'had al-Arb’in checkpoint and the gate, we saw three soldiers and five young settlers who were about 16 years old. We ignored them and kept walking, and then my mother shouted out to me to watch out because one of them was about to attack me. Before I could turn around, the settler punched me in the right ear. I screamed with pain and the settler ran towards the settlement.

My ear still hurts. If the pain continues, I’ll have to see a doctor.

On 2 February 2021, members of the Nawaj’ah family, who reside in Khirbet Susiya in the South Hebron Hills, discovered that settlers had uprooted and stolen 10 pine seedlings. They also razed about 8 dunams [1 dunam = 1,000 sq. meters] of sown barely fields.

The settlement outpost of Nof Nesher was established about 200 meters south of the plot, and the settlement outpost of Mitzpe Yair was established about 1.5 kilometers from it.

In the evening hours of 1 February 2021, dozens of settlers escorted by soldiers invaded the town of Kifl Hares in Salfit District. They stoned homes and cars, smashing a window in one home and the windows of seven cars.

Once every few months, the Israeli military blocks the entrances to the town, sets up roadblocks throughout it and forbids foot and vehicle traffic by local residents to make way for Jewish worshippers visiting tombs they believe to be those of Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, which lie within the town. The worshippers remain near the tombs overnight.

On 27 January 2021, settlers burned down a tent and everything inside it in the a-Sweidah area. The tent was used by shepherd Luai Daraghmeh (28) and his family, residents of Khirbet ‘Ein al-Hilweh in the northern Jordan Valley, when they grazed their flock in the pastureland.  

On 26 January 2021, ‘Aref Jaber (46), a married father of six from Hebron, discovered settlers had uprooted and stolen some 100 olive seedlings he had planted about a month before in his land in the Al-Baq’ah area. The neighborhood of Giv’at Haharsina in the settlement of Kiryat Arba was established adjacent to the plot.

On 11 December 2020, settlers invaded the plot, erecting a structure there for the third time. When Jaber arrived at the plot, they attacked his car, smashing its windshield and headlights. 

In the early morning hours of Monday, 25 January 2021, Khalaf al-‘Abayat (38), a married father of six, set out to graze his flock in the area around his home. At around 8:00 A.M., while he was in the pastureland, two settlers who were grazing their flock near the settlement outpost of Ibei Hanahal with two dogs in tow attacked him.

The settlers threw stones at al-‘Abayat and his flock, and some goats were hit and began fleeing the area. At that point, the settlers set their dogs on the flock. After an attack that lasted several minutes, four more settlers arrived from the direction of the settlement of Ma’ale Amos and also started throwing stones at al-‘Abayat and his flock.

al-‘Abayat called the Israel Police to report the attack as he tried to duck the stones and get away from the settlers. About 15 minutes later, a police officer and four soldiers arrived, drove the settlers away, and detained al-‘Abayat for about an hour on the grounds that he did not carry his ID card with him. Meanwhile, the flock scattered and moved away. About an hour later, al-‘Abayat’s brother Fadi arrived, gave the officer the requested ID card, and left to search for the flock. An assessment of the damage revealed that the stones thrown by the settlers had injured three pregnant goats.

The police officer ordered al-‘Abayat not to graze his flock in the area, including in the open area east of Kisan and the settlements. He also threatened that if he violated his order, the flock would be confiscated.The next day, in the early morning hours, Fadi al-‘Abayat took the flock out to graze in the Wadi Sa’ir area, about three kilometers west of the settlement and the outpost. At around 11:00, two settlers who were standing by the roadside on the upper part of the valley attacked al-‘Abayat and tumbled rocks at him and his flock. al-‘Abayat gathered the flock and took it back to the village.

In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Musa Abu Hashhsash, Khalaf al-‘Abayat recounted his attack by settlers:

I raise livestock and graze a flock of 100 goats. My mother, my wife, and my brother Fadi help me. I usually take the flock to graze in the hills close to my home, where the settlement of Ma’ale Amos and the outpost of Ibei Hanahal were built. I always try to avoid the settlers’ territory.

On 25 January 2021, I went out as usual to graze the flock. When I passed through the area between the settlement and the outpost, on the way to the open area far from both, two settlers who had been hiding inside the outpost’s vineyard suddenly appeared. They were also grazing their flock in the area. They started throwing stones at my flock, and some goats were hit and fled south. The settlers unleashed two dogs who ran after the flock. I managed to dodge most of the stones. But within minutes, four more settlers arrived. They came out of a tent they’d set up at the edge of Ma’ale Amos, about 200 meters from the vineyard. They also threw stones and chased after the goats.

I called the Israel Police. After 15 minutes, a police officer and four soldiers arrived and tried to separate me and my flock from the settlers. One soldier asked for my ID card. I told him it was at home and he demanded that I bring it. I called my brother Fadi and asked him to bring it. The soldiers detained me for about an hour until Fadi arrived after he had tried to locate the flock that had moved far away. The officer told me I wasn’t allowed to come back with the flock to the open area where I usually graze it and that if I did, he’d confiscate my flock. I don’t understand on what grounds he said that and don’t know what I’m going to do now because I have no way to raise the flock without taking it out to pasture. I can’t afford to buy expensive fodder all the time.

After the soldiers released me, I returned home and waited for Fadi, who came back with the flock about two hours later. He said the flock had moved more than two kilometers away towards Wadi Sa’ir. I checked on the goats and discovered that stones had hit three pregnant goats. I hope they’ll be OK.

In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Musa Abu Hashhsash, Fadi al-‘Abayat described his attack by settlers the next day:

After Khalaf updated me that the officer had warned him not to come back to where we usually grazed our flock and threatened to confiscate it, I took it the next day to Wadi Sa’ir, far from the settlements. At around 11:00 P.M., while we were in the pastureland in the valley, I suddenly saw large rocks falling in my direction. When I looked up, I saw a white vehicle standing on the road on the valley's upper part. Next to it were two settlers who were tumbling large rocks into the valley to the area where I was grazing the flock. I decided to go home because I was afraid that the flock or I would get hurt.

The village of Kisan lies about 500 meters from the settlement outpost of Ibei Hanahal, established in 1999, and about a kilometer from the settlement of Ma’ale Amos, established in 1980. 

On 24 January 2021, at around 4:00 P.M., some 10 settlers escorted by several soldiers arrived at the outskirts of the eastern neighborhood of the village of Burin and stopped next to an abandoned home. The soldiers fired in the air to disperse the village residents who had gathered there to block the settlers’ way and prevent them from advancing into the neighborhood. The settlers and the soldiers left at around 5:00 P.M.

The residents of Burin, which is flanked by the settlements of Har Bracha and Yitzhar, have been suffering from repeated attacks by settlers for years. Yitzhar was established in the 1980s about a kilometer south of the village, and Har Bracha was established about a kilometer to the northeast, both on land belonging to Burin and neighboring villages.

On 24 January 2021, farmer Taysir Samamrah (59) discovered that settlers had uprooted about 100 out of the 200 olive seedlings he had planted in his plot. The settlement outpost of Mitzpe Eshtamoa was established about a kilometer from the plot. 

On 23 January 2021, some 10 settlers, including the security coordinator of Har Bracha, and about five soldiers, arrived at the outskirts of the northeastern neighborhood of Burin. The settlers began stoning a house under construction, about a kilometer away from the settlement outpost of Sneh Ya’akov (Givat Ronen). At the time, the owner, Ibrahim ‘Eid (43), and several workers were at the house. Several villagers gathered at the scene and defended the home from the settlers. Shortly afterward, the settlers left without causing damage.

This was the third attack on ‘Eid’s home by settlers since June 2020: On 18 June 2020, settlers threw stones at the home, breaking its water pipes and torching olive and almond groves in its vicinity. Soldiers who came to the area hurled tear gas canisters and fired rubber-coated metal bullets at residents who had gathered to defend the property. On 9 October 2020, settlers stoned the neighborhood’s homes. A short while later, the security coordinator of Har Bracha stopped a village resident passing by, smashed his car window, fired two shots in the air, grabbed him and handed him over to the soldiers, who detained him for three days for no reason. On 10 October 2020, settlers threw stones at the home, breaking several of its windows. This time, too, soldiers arrived and hurled tear gas canisters at the residents.
 
The residents of Burin, which is flanked by the settlements of Har Bracha and Yitzhar, have been suffering from repeated attacks by settlers for years. Yitzhar was established in the 1980s about a kilometer south of the village, and Har Bracha was established about a kilometer to the northeast, both on land belonging to Burin and neighboring villages.

On 23 January 2021, ‘Abed Ahmad, a 60-year-old father of six, came to his land and discovered that settlers had uprooted all 120 olive seedlings he had planted four years ago in his plot, which stretches over 16 dunams [1 dunams = 1,000 sq. meters] north of the village. The settlement of Bruchin was established about a kilometer north of his land.  

In addition, the settlers invaded a small agricultural structure located in a nearby olive grove belonging to Muhammad Ayub (60), a father of five. They broke the lock, smashed a window and vandalized a mattress and kitchen utensils stored there.

On 21 January 2021, around midnight, settlers threw stones at Palestinian cars driving along Route 90, less than a kilometer from the entrance to the settlement of Tomer in the Jordan Valley. Two of the stones hit the car of Mujahed ‘Atyani (33), a married father of one from the village of Yasuf. One stone shattered the windshield and another hit the chassis on the rear right side. ‘Atyani kept driving until he was away from the area.

The settlement of Tomer was established in 1978 on land belonging to the village of Fayasil.

On the night of 21 January 2021, at around 10:30 P.M., about eight settlers arrived in two cars at the village of Jinsafut. They blocked the eastern entrance to the village and advanced on foot into the eastern neighborhood, where they stoned the first house on the street, which belongs to the Bashir family, and two cars belonging to the family. The settlers shattered five windows in the family's home, punctured both cars' tires, and smashed a side window in one car.

Members of the family, who saw the attack from their window, went outside. The settlers fled back to their cars, which they had left at the beginning of the road leading to the village.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Yusef (23), a veterinarian from the village, was trying to get home. As the settlers' cars were blocking his way, he waited in his car until they returned and cleared the lane. On their way out, the settlers noticed Yusef and seized the opportunity to cause more damage. They smashed his windshield and a side window, got into their cars and drove off towards of the settlement of Immanuel.

After the settlers left, the Bashir family and other residents blocked the village's southern entrance with boulders to stop the settlers from returning, and called the Israel Police. About half an hour later, police officers and soldiers arrived. The police collected statements, photographed the damage, took samples of the stones and left the area.

In a testimony he gave B'Tselem field researcher Abdulkarim Sadi, 'Alaa Bashir (39), a father of five from Jinsafut, recounted the settlers' violent invasion into his neighborhood:

We were at home with my brothers, who were visiting, and my wife Khulud was getting the kids ready for bed. Suddenly, I heard a stone hit the window of the children's bedroom. Khulud looked out the window and yelled that she could see settlers throwing stones at my car, which was parked by the house. I went outside immediately with my brothers, and we saw the settlers running towards the eastern exit of the village, which is about 200 meters from our home. We saw two cars parked at the beginning of the road leading to the settlement of Immanuel.

We ran after them but couldn't catch them. I found out they'd smashed my van's side window and punctured all of its tires.

In a testimony he gave B'Tselem field researcher Abdulkarim Sadi, Muhammad Yusef (23), a married resident of Jinsafut, described how settlers attacked his car while he was sitting inside:

On Thursday night, 21 January 2021, I drove home from work. When I got to the eastern entrance to the village, I found two cars blocking the road. I honked and flashed my headlight at them so they would move out of the way, because I didn't know they were settlers' cars. If I’d known, I would have turned around and taken a different route home.

Suddenly, a group of about four or five settlers appeared with stones in their hands, and started throwing them at my car. I was terrified and shielded my head with my hands. They smashed the left side window and all the bits of glass landed on my head and face. They also smashed the windshield, but luckily it didn't shatter to pieces. The attack lasted about a minute, and then the settlers got into their cars and left.

What happened to me was horrible. It never crossed my mind that settlers would come all the way to our homes and attack us. There was nowhere to run. I'm still in shock and anxious because of the attack.

A few seconds after the settlers left, people from the village came and blocked the entrance with boulders to protest against the attack. I'm not optimistic and don't believe the military and the police will do right by us. I don't believe they’ll catch those settlers and punish them.

The settlement of Immanuel was established in the 1980s about two kilometers southeast of Jinsafut.

.

On Thursday evening, 21 January 2021, H. (26) and 'Alaa (35) Suaftah, residents of Ramallah, were driving with their two children, Majd (6) and Jad (3), to visit family in the town of Tubas. When they reached a point about 300 meters away from Route 60 and from the entrance to the settlement of Givat Assaf, the couple noticed dozens of masked settlers blocking the road, holding stones and clubs.  

H., who was driving, stopped the car. The settlers surrounded the car and began hitting it with stones and clubs, smashing the window on the driver's side and the left rear window. One of the stones hit H. in the hand, and another hit three-year-old Jad, who was sitting in the backseat, in the cheek. A few seconds later, H. started driving again and when she accelerated, the assailants scattered.  

H. drove to the nearest junction, where she stopped next to soldiers and police officers who were guarding other settlers spread out in the area. After H. and her husband reported the attack, the police officers photographed the car and called an ambulance.  

About 15 minutes later, an Israeli paramedic arrived on a moped and gave Jad first aid. About 20 minutes after that, a Red Crescent ambulance arrived and took Jad to a clinic in al-Bireh. His father and brother rode with him and his mother drove after the ambulance.  

Jad was examined and X-rayed, and after no fractures were found, was transferred to the Mujama Falastin Medical Center in Ramallah for observation. He was discharged at around 11:00 P.M., and the family returned home.

In a testimony she gave B'Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad, H. Suaftah recounted how the settlers attacked her family and injured her toddler:  

We were planning to celebrate Majd's sixth birthday with 'Alaa's parents, who live in Tubas, and spend the weekend there. I was driving. When we were several hundred meters from the traffic light junction on Route 60, opposite the settlement of Givat Assaf, I saw someone with a flashlight blocking the road and motioning me to stop. There were more than 20 people with him. At first, I thought they were soldiers setting up a roadblock, so I stopped immediately. Suddenly, I realized they were settlers, because they were wearing masks and holding clubs and stones. I wouldn’t wish such a situation on anyone. Every second felt like an hour.  

They started kicking the car and trying to open the door, which I always lock because I have small children. They saw the children sitting in the backseat, because the man holding the flashlight pointed it into the car. He stood in front of me and oversaw the assault. They attacked us with stones and hit the chassis with whatever they could lay their hands on. I can't even describe how frightened and stressed I was. I started shouting, "For the love of God, for the love of God!" The children started screaming and crying. The stones started shattering the windows, and glass shards flew into the car. I thought we were going to die and started praying.  

I couldn't drive on because they were blocking the road from all sides. Then one of them shone the flashlight right into my face, blinding me. At some point, I decided to start driving, no matter what. I thought that either I'd save my family or we’d die. I started driving and they all scattered.  

We got to the junction and saw military and police forces near the entrance to Givat Assaf. They could see the attack against us from where they were standing, but all they did was guard the settlers who were protesting there. I stopped the car by the roadside, and we talked with the officers. We showed them the state the car was in, and they inspected it. The children were crying and we tried to calm them down. About 15 minutes later, we asked the officers to call an ambulance. An Israeli paramedic arrived on a moped and gave Jad first aid.  

About five minutes later, more officers arrived and asked us about what happened. They took one of the three stones that were inside the car and suggested we file a complaint at the Binyamin police station.  

About 20 minutes later, a Red Crescent ambulance arrived. They wanted to take Jad to a clinic in al-Bireh. My husband and Majd, who was afraid to ride with me in the car after what happened, got into in the ambulance. I drove after them, and a military jeep followed us for a few kilometers until we were far enough from the dangerous area.  

It was a crazy night. We saw death before our very eyes and were terrified beyond description. Even though it only lasted a few seconds, I can't let go of the horrifying sight of the settlers. Neither can the children, who have started sleeping in the room with us because they’re too scared to sleep alone and wake up in fear several times at night. Every time we go into a room, Majd asks me to close the door and window.  

We will never forget this incident, especially my children. I consulted with a psychologist online about how to cope and how to deal with the children. I worry about them and pray for their safety. They are the most precious thing I have in life. 

On 21 January 2021, at around 8:30 P.M., some 10 settlers threw stones at a car belonging to ‘Abd al-Karim Abu Shhadeh (48), a father of seven from Burin, near the entrance to the village on the Huwarah-Yitzhar road. Several soldiers were present at the scene. The settlers smashed the car’s side window and damaged its chassis.

The residents of Burin, which is flanked by the settlements of Har Bracha and Yitzhar, have been suffering from repeated attacks by settlers for years. Yitzhar was established in the 1980s about a kilometer south of the village, and Har Bracha was established about a kilometer to the northeast, both on land belonging to Burin and neighboring villages.

On 19 January 2021, two farmers from She’b al-Batem discovered settlers had uprooted about 100 olive seedlings in their plots, which stretch about 200 meters northwest of the settlement outpost of Avigayil. 

On Sunday, 17 January 2021, at around midday, the three daughters of the Qut family – Alma (4), Masah (6) and Hala (10) – were playing by their house, which lies on the southern edge of the village. Their mother, Wiam (30), was inside with her two-month-old daughter and nine-year-old son. The father, Shaher (34), was at work in Israel.

Suddenly, several masked settlers appeared and started throwing stones at the three girls from several dozen meters away. Masah was hit in the leg but managed to run home and get her mother. The mother came out and found Hala lying unconscious on the ground, after a stone had hit her in the face. As the settlers continued throwing stones, hitting Wiam in the leg, she took the girls inside and washed Hala's face. Meanwhile, the settlers continued to throw stones at the house, breaking a kitchen window and a bedroom window.

The settlers fled when Wiam's brother- and sister-in-law, who live next door, arrived with a friend. The sister-in-law and friend took Hala to Rafidya hospital in Nablus, while Hatem, Shaher's brother, stayed with Wiam and her children. In hospital, Hala was examined, given first aid for the swelling in her face and discharged. Three days later, she returned for X-rays that revealed her nose was broken and her upper jaw fractured. The doctors determined she would need surgery to fix her nasal bones and replace a damaged tooth with a dental implant.

Like most Palestinians who live in the villages near the settlement of Yitzhar, the residents of Madama suffer repeated attacks by settlers. In 2020 alone, B'Tselem documented three settler attacks on residents' homes, including an attack on another home of the Qut family.

In a testimony she gave B'Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb'i, 10-year-old Hala Qut described how settlers attacked her with stones:

I was playing out front with my two sisters when suddenly, I heard voices coming from the direction of the hill. I turn to look and saw a man with a mask throw a stone at me. I fell over. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. I could hear the doctor saying my name. I really scared. I didn't understand where I was and didn't know what to do.

I don't remember anything about the man except that he was huge and tall. His face was covered and all I could see were his big eyes. I didn't know he was a settler. I thought he was from the village. Later, I was told they were settlers who’d thrown stones at us and at our house. I’ve asked my parents to sleep in their bed because I'm afraid they'll come back and attack us again.

I can't sleep at night. Whenever I close my eyes, I see that settler. The angry look in his eyes haunts me.

In a testimony she gave B'Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb'i, Wiam Qut recounted the settlers' attack on her daughters and home:

On Sunday, 17 January 2021, around midday, I was doing chores around the house. My baby Lucinda was asleep in my bedroom and my son Karam (9) was playing indoors. My three girls were playing out front, as they do every day.

Suddenly, Masah came in holding her leg and yelled, "They hit me with a stone!" I asked, "Who hit you?" and she said, "People." I went to the doorway and saw my daughter Hala lying on the ground about six meters away. I ran over to her, calling out her name, but she didn't answer. When I reached her, she still didn’t respond because she’d passed out. Her nose and mouth were bloody. I saw several masked people throwing stones at us and realized they were settlers.

Two stones hit me in the right leg and I grabbed Hala by the shoulders, because I can't lift her, dragged her inside and shut the door. I washed her face and wiped off the blood, because I didn't know where she was bleeding from. Meanwhile, I heard stones hitting the walls of the house and glass shattering. A few minutes later, the stones stopped and all I could hear was the sound of my terrified children crying.  

My brother-in-law Hatem, who lives next door, came over with his wife and a friend. My sister-in-law and the friend took Hala to hospital in Nablus, because I couldn't leave the kids alone. Hatem stayed with us, because he was afraid the settlers would come back. My husband works in Israel and gets home late.

I was so scared that I completely forgot Lucinda was sleeping in her cot in the bedroom. I ran over to her and was shocked to find two large stones and broken glass on my bed. Thank God Lucinda was safe and sound in her cot, because she often sleeps in my bed during the daytime. That day, I put her to sleep in her cot, I don't even know why. If she’d been sleeping  in my bed, she would have been hit for sure – if not by a stone, then by the broken glass that flew in. I picked her up and she was still sleeping like an angel. I started crying over what had happened to us with no warning. It’s the first time settlers have come so close to our home, and it was terrifying. They usually attack homes in the village and try to take over land, but they’ve never come as far as this into the village, because people notice them and drive them away.

Hala came home about three hours later with her father, who went from work straight to the hospital. That night and for the following two nights, she refused to sleep in her bed and slept in ours. She's terrified. We all are. Since the incident, my husband has come back every night and hasn’t stayed overnight at his workplace.

My husband covered the broken windows in the kitchen and bedroom with plastic sheets/nylon. It was freezing that night, and we all suffered.

Three days later, we took Hala for a checkup at the hospital. They X-rayed her and found that she needs surgery for her broken nose. She also has a fracture in her upper jawbone and a broken tooth, and she'll need an implant. She's scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, 27 January 2021. When we got back from hospital, Hala was very nervous about the surgery and burst into tears. I tried to calm her down, of course, but she's a little girl and it's a very hard for her.

The settlement of Yitzhar was established about a kilometer from the Qut family’s home.

For three days, from 16 to 18 January 2021, settlers repeatedly attacked the home of Rajaai Idris (37), his wife ‘Aishah Tarif-Idris (36) and their six children in the neighborhood of Khallet a-Natash, east of Hebron. The settlers, some of whom were masked, arrived in the morning and in the evening and shattered five of the home’s windows. Rajaai Idris called the Israel Police with every new attack, but the officers arrived late or not at all. Idris even sent the police video footage of the attacks. The officers suggested he file a complaint at the police station and on 25 January 2021, he went to the police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba. Idris was made to wait two hours until he was allowed into the station and an officer registered his complaint.

However, on the evening of 1 February 2021, settlers again came to the house and stoned it, some using slingshots, smashing several of its windows. Idris called the police, who again arrived after the settlers had left, about half an hour after the call. The officers photographed the stones the settlers had thrown on the roof and inside the house, as well as the shattered windows. They again suggested Idris file a complaint at the police station, yet he chose not to do so as the exercise was futile.   

The outpost of Giv’at Gal, which serves as a neighborhood of the settlement of Kiryat Arba, was established in 2014 less than 100 meters away from Khallet a-Natash. Since then, settlers have been attacking area farmers and preventing them from accessing their land.

In a testimony she gave B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari on 3 February 2021, ‘Aishah Tarif-Idris (36) described the settlers’ attacks and the futility of going to the police:

I live with my husband Rajaai and our six children – Zuhour (14), Qusai (12), Nisan (9), Sai’d (4), Usayed (3) and baby Awais, who’s less than a month old – in a two-story building in Khallet a-Natash. We live in one apartment and my husband’s parents and siblings live in the other four.     

Since the outpost was built, we’ve been suffering regularly from attacks by young settlers who throw stones at our home. It has a really bad effect on our children, who have recently started wetting themselves and are afraid to sleep alone in their beds. They all insist on sleeping in our bed.

On 16 January 2021, around midday, I came home from hospital after giving birth to Awais. We were so happy. I was exhausted, and all I wanted was to sleep and rest. But then settlers showed up and started throwing stones at our house. It continued the next day and the day after that, on 17 and 18 January. The settlers came in the morning and in the evening and threw stones at the building. The kids were terrified, and I was frightened and exhausted.  

On 1 February 2021, at around 3:30 P.M., settlers again showed up. They were a group of 16 or 17 year old and they started throwing stones at our home with slingshots. The stones hit the roof and windows, and the kids started crying. I tried to calm them down, while my husband tried to film what was happening on his cell phone. He called the Israel Police and two officers arrived half an hour later, but the settlers had left by then.

The officers saw the shattered windows and the stones on the roof. One of them, who introduced himself as Fuad and spoke fluent Arabic, took photos of the stones and the windows. He asked my husband not to touch the stones because they wanted to collect them, as they had the settlers’ fingerprints on them. The officers asked my husband to go to the police station in Kiryat Arba and file a complaint, but he didn’t go. It’s useless. Not to mention the fact that they make him wait outside for hours on end, or how badly he’s treated there every time he goes to file a complaint.

In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari on 26 January 2021, Rajaai Idris described the settlers’ repeated attacks and the false promises given by the police:

Since they built the outpost of Giv’at Gal we’ve been suffering repeated attacks by settlers, along with our relatives who live next door. Sometimes they throw stones at our homes, and at other times they prevent us from going to our farmland, which is close to here. It’s especially bad during the olive harvest season, when the settlers do as they please on our land and the Civil Administration only allows us to access it for two days.

Over the last month, the settlers’ attacks have intensified. It used to happen only on weekends and on Jewish holidays. But this year, settler kids between the ages of 12 and 17 have started throwing stones at our homes almost every day. It terrifies the children. The sound of the stones hitting the roof or the windows is petrifying. Every time it happens, I call the Israel Police. I’ve already filed dozens of complaints at the police station in Kiryat Arba, but it’s useless. There’s also a military guard post at the top of the hill, and all the attacks happen right before the eyes of the two soldiers stationed there. Filing a complaint is a nightmare in itself, because they make me wait for hours in front of the station until they let me in, and sometimes they don’t let me in at all.

In one of the attacks in January, two officers showed up after I called the police, and one of them introduced himself as Erez. They took photos of the windows and the stones, and Erez promised me they would stop the settlers’ attacks. He gave me a phone number so I could report to him and send him video footage of the attacks. I did that, but the attacks didn’t stop. Yesterday, I went to the police station and waited for over two hours until they let me in. The officer who received me was very irritated with me and demanded I show him ownership documents for the land we live on and a permit from the Civil Administration that we’re allowed to be in the area. I told him I was there to file a complaint and not present permits for my right to live in my own home. I asked him to call the officer Erez, so he’d explain to him that this was a real incident. He called him, and Erez must have sent him the video. About 15 minutes later, he took my statement and then I went home, exhausted.