Nablus- In an unusual mission, and by people who appeared to be members of the Israeli occupation army, Palestinian citizen Qasim Barham was forced to stand at an emergency military checkpoint near his village, and was forced to get out of his car and submit to violent military measures, amid unprecedented abuse.
This was not just a checkpoint, but rather more like an ambush set up by extremist settlers impersonating the uniform of the Israeli occupation army, and carrying out unprecedented violence and oppression towards the Palestinians, in a scene that has become frequently repeated as if it were a new job for the settlers that went beyond all their previous tasks, of attacking and inciting the Palestinians, controlling their lands and displacing them. Attacking farmers and burning their crops and homes.
Between the villages of Asira al-Qibliya and Urif, near the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, settlers led by “Yacoub” detained the security guard of the “Yitzhar” settlement, which is located on the lands of those Palestinian villages, the citizen Barham (35 years old), along with other Palestinians a few days ago, and subjected him to a full inspection after forcing him to He lifted his clothes, squatted, and placed his hands above his head under the threat of the weapon they were armed with.
Abuse and terrorism
Barham, who is from the village of Asira al-Qibliya, told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “The settlers abused me, and one of them kicked me in the stomach. After detaining me for an hour and a half, they left the place, and kept me and the detainees in the street.”
The most dangerous thing, according to Barham, is that these settlers, impersonating the army, searched him thoroughly, tampered with his car and his cell phone, and stole 200 shekels (about 55 US dollars) from his wallet. He says, “I was subjected to intimidation, assault, and hacking.”
Despite his daily passage through the occupation checkpoints, the “settlers’ checkpoint,” according to Barham’s description, “seemed more violent, more intimidating, and more hateful as well. I felt really afraid and that something was threatening my life, and I did not expect them to let me go, as they were ready to shoot and kill us at any moment.”
Since then, Barham has not passed that road, while other Palestinians cannot find an alternative route to use during their transportation, which makes them vulnerable to settlers’ attacks and daily abuse.
Displacement policy
“Jacob” leads a group of settlers consisting of 6 to 8 people, heavily armed and with terrifying appearances. They set up barriers and conduct patrols to pursue Palestinians on their lands, assault them, and expel them from them.
During 2023 alone, according to the Palestine Information Center “Maata”, settlers launched more than two thousand attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, while data from the Wall and Settlement Authority indicate that in the same year, settlers killed 22 Palestinians, including 10 after the start of the aggression against Gaza on October 7. the first.
The head of the Asira Al-Qibliya village council, Hafez Saleh, where settler violence is widespread, says, “Yacoub has gone beyond his role in guarding the settlement’s security, and has begun to pursue a policy of displacement to expel (Palestinian) citizens from their land and seize control of it to implement settlement plans, and he uses military checkpoints as a form of assault.” On Palestinian citizens.
Saleh told Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “The checkpoint erected by Yacoub and his settlement group has become daily, and sometimes several times a day, and thus he is committing his most heinous crimes by cutting off the roads connecting the villages, in light of a comprehensive closure originally imposed by the occupation authorities.”
The local official added, “The settlers violently search vehicles and the (Palestinian) citizens inside them, amid assault and obscene insults, and steal their money and possessions. Inside the lands, they prevent farmers from working, pursue workers and expel them from their workplaces, and attack the homes of (Palestinian) citizens near the settlements.”
The settler, “Yacoub,” had previously attacked Saleh inside his land, detained him and his relatives, and subjected them to a field investigation, amid a warning from them to “kill every person from his village who causes problems.” Saleh added, “Yacoub actually shot a family from his village, intentionally killing them, as they passed by in their vehicle in the town of Huwwara.” The village members were seriously injured and fractured, and yesterday they opened fire on the vehicle of another resident of the village.”
In late October, one of those settlers killed Palestinian farmer Bilal Saleh (40 years old) from the village of Al-Sawiya, after attacking him on his land while picking olives. Saleh says, “We, as a village council, worked to light the street to preserve the security of the people, and to communicate the military connection.” To prevent the settlers, but no one takes action.”
Impersonating the role of the police
Not far from the village of Asira al-Qibliya, the guard of the “Majdlim” settlement, which is perched on the lands of the town of Qasra, south of Nablus, deliberately set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to the village, and also closed its side roads inside it, to impede the movement of Palestinians.
The settlement guard plays the role of a policeman, as he searches vehicles, confiscates them, and detains Palestinians and their personal IDs. He also tracks Palestinian construction in Area C and informs the relevant Israeli authorities, who later notify their owners and demolish them.
Since its aggression against Gaza, the Israeli government has brought in gangs of settlers, including the “Hill Boys,” “The Price Tags,” and others, after supplying them with weapons, to protect the security of the settlements and the roads on which the settlers walk, but they went beyond this mission to set up barriers and terrorize people to pressure them and displace them.
While more than 250,000 settlers applied, according to media sources, after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” to obtain licenses to carry weapons, more than 26,000 settlers actually armed themselves and received various training, according to the official in the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Authority, Abdullah Abu Rahma.
No accountability
Human rights activist Murad Ali, who documents violations by the occupation and settlers in southern Nablus, says, “The settlers took advantage of the emergency law declared in the West Bank and violated everything. There are no controls or ties on their actions at all.”
He added, “In addition to the fact that the government provided them with facilities, the most important of which was that it dressed them in military uniform, meaning it provided them with full cover for their crimes, provided them with weapons, and gave them a legal and legitimate umbrella. They are not afraid of accountability, and in fact they will not find anyone to question them.”
Although there is no difference between the behavior of regular soldiers and settlers in their aggression, especially in these times, the danger of settlers, as activist Ali sees it, “lies in a hidden hatred that manifests itself in their violent and criminal practices, especially since most of them are from a security and military background.” As for the soldiers, they aim through the checkpoints. To obstruct the movement of Palestinians and detain them, usually for the purpose of security screening, which leads to their arrest or release.
Activist Ali says that the occupation government has instructed all settlers who can carry weapons to carry them, and to terrorize the Palestinians who have lost their sense of security after the settlers pursued them everywhere.
He added, “Due to extensive documentation of settler violations, America and some European countries called on the Israeli government to rein in the settlers and curb their behavior, but there has been no change since last October 7.”
