Jewish settlers on the occupied West Bank have become more aggressive since October 7. The Israeli government is increasingly supporting them in this. Palestinian shepherds and a farmer tell about it: "A settler once put his gun to my head."
"The problems have become twice as bad," sighs 35-year-old shepherd Mohammad. While telling the story, he rubs his expressionless face continuously. "They cut through bags of flour, empty your water barrels, puncture your tires. That is all normal. But since October 7, the Israeli army has helped them with this."
Spread over five screens, everyone nods along. Two shepherds and a farmer are present at the online telephone appointment, all from their own cars. Two Israeli volunteers from the aid organization Jordan Valley Activists try to translate everything. This is not only difficult because of the bad connection, but also because the three men respond to the questions at the same time.
Since the renewed war in Gaza, the Israeli authorities have also increased the pressure in the area they have occupied since 1967. According to the law of war, the army and the police are supposed to protect the Palestinians. But the army now helps the settlers and the police no longer come when the farmers call for help.
The three men remain hopeful, but also see that there is little support and a happy ending is far away. There is little help, admits the fifty-year-old farmer Mohammad. The talkative man sometimes lets a broad smile appear on his serious face, but then his gaze turns serious again. "We do not know the safety of sitting at home with our children."
More settlements and 150,000 weapons
The three Palestinians live with their families in the north in an area controlled by Israel. Farmer Mohammad explains why they want to remain in the article without a surname: "There are more and more checkpoints on the road. They always look for an excuse to detain you for hours. Not handy if I have to go to the hospital, for example."
Israel is expanding rapidly in the occupied West Bank. At the end of May, the Israeli security cabinet approved the construction of 22 new settlements. These are illegal. The United Nations previously concluded in a study on 2023 and 2024 that the Palestinian population is increasingly confronted with discrimination and violence.
The Israeli government is also arming the settlers increasingly heavily. Since October 7, more than 150,000 (fire)arms have been provided to Israeli occupiers. The Palestinians, on the other hand, have nothing to defend themselves with. According to the shepherds, the army opens fire when it sees a knife.
"And the settlers lie," say the farmer and shepherds in unison. For example, they say that you have weapons at home. That is reason enough for the army to enter your house and knock things over. Farmer Mohammad: "A settler once put his gun to my head and said: 'When the time comes, I will kill you.'"
'This is what the constant stress does to them'
Mohammad has to leave his farm within two to three months according to a settler. 26 families depend on his land, he says. He recently took out a lien on his house to cover costs after settlers caused damage. "If I don't sell my house, they will take it away. But we have nowhere to go."
When asked where he would move with his family, his face contorts. "Well, the bushes..." He becomes emotional, apologizes and cries behind his hand. After a short silence, one of the two volunteers adds: "This is what the constant stress does to them."
Shepherd Abed says that he has to leave his house and land within a week. He heard this not only from a settler, but also from the border police. The fact that they are interfering in this is new, emphasizes a volunteer.
Abed doesn't know yet what he's going to do. His neighbor left a few months ago after receiving threats. "He's homeless now." Not much later, the shepherd apologizes for having to hang up. He approaches a checkpoint.
Farmer Mohammad briefly gets out of his car. With his now familiar grin, he peers into the distance. Behind him, the sand turns orange in the setting sun.
Activists as a human shield
The Palestinians on the West Bank have become increasingly dependent on activists over the years. For example, when the shepherds want to let their herds graze, they first agree whether an activist can go with them. The volunteers form a human shield: settlers stay away or are much milder.
In the first period after October 7, the activists even increased their presence to 24/7, says one of the two translating activists. "The shepherds feared not only for their work, but also for their home." The aid is not without risk for the activists. Both Israeli and foreign aid workers are sometimes injured by settler aggression.
Settlers destroy evidence
Palestinians and activists havehave their camera as their only weapon. They film all intimidation as evidence for the police and the army. Although the settlers try to cover this up, says shepherd Mohammad. "They take your phone and break it."
The army also breaks cameras that have been installed by Comet-ME, say the shepherds. This is an Israeli-Palestinian aid organization that has also been funded by the Netherlands since 2013. In 2017, former Prime Minister Mark Rutte protested to Israel after vandalism at a project of the aid organization. The Netherlands has invested a total of 6.7 million euros in Comet-ME, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NLD) reports.
The extremist settlers even target their own army. At the end of June, settlers destroyed computer equipment of the army. It contained systems that were used for law enforcement and the prevention of attacks. The damage means a greater security risk, the army stated.
Farmer Mohammad ends the conversation with a wish: "When this is all over, I hope to welcome everyone here." After the interview, he sends photos of scorched earth and pipes (seen in the photo above this article). Settlers have set fire to his irrigation system.
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