Occupied West Bank – “The Israeli army is here. They’re coming on the road! » shouts our Palestinian driver Mohammad, alarmed, as we approach the scene of a recent settler attack in the village of al-Sawiya.
The message is relayed to him by anxious villagers gathered in the street. This is my first time working with Mohammad, who is nervous and seems worried. In our short time together, he has already recounted many traumatic experiences at the hands of the Israeli army.
We get out of the car. I fear the military will prevent us from filming the damage caused by the attack, so I must act quickly.
It’s been raining on and off for days and a white fog hangs over the streets and hills, slowly dispersing and only adding to the feeling of tension.
Last night, Israelis from a nearby illegal settlement doused a car with gasoline and set it on fire. According to witnesses, they had planned to burn down the neighboring house while the families were sleeping inside but they were spotted and chased away, only damaging the car.
Two military jeeps and an armored police vehicle arrive, and the soldiers pour out, immediately demanding that I not record them. Rather than trying to gather evidence of the crime, they seem determined to make a show of force, discouraging any dissent from the villagers.
Residents say not only has settler violence increased in the occupied West Bank since the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel, but the settlers also appear to benefit from support from the Israeli military.
The children, excited by all this excitement, wave, smile and give my camera a thumbs up: “Hello. How are you, Habibi? they ask. The men are much more serious and the women stay indoors, seen only occasionally at the windows.
Armed and potentially dangerous settlers
The day before, we had visited a Palestinian Bedouin community in Maarajat, in the mountains outside Jericho. The landscape, arid for most of the year, is now green. Bedouins living at the foot of a smooth hill gradually found themselves surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements and outposts.
During filming, the Bedouins pointed to the horizon. They had spotted two settlers in a small all-terrain vehicle. I was surprised to see that they were dressed exactly like Israeli soldiers and were carrying M16 rifles. Our Bedouin hosts, visibly worried, took shelter behind a nearby sheepfold while I continued filming, and we debated whether we should approach these armed and potentially dangerous men.
Suleiman Atallah Mlaihat, the Bedouin leader, showed us images he and his family took of the settlers’ daily attacks on their community and their livestock. Faced with increasing intimidation and violence, Suleiman and two friends decided to report the crimes to the police.
Because the Palestinian police have no authority to enforce justice against Israeli settlers, Suleiman had to go to the Israeli police. The police station is located in another larger town, about 20 minutes’ drive away.
From the moment we arrived in the settlement, we saw the prejudice Sulieman and his community face from Israelis. The guards at the entrance were shouting frantically, extremely agitated. A guard told Sulieman not to come any closer because she feared for her safety.
She wore a bulletproof vest, a helmet and is armed with an M16 assault rifle. Suleiman is dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers.
Calls were made and after about an hour a police escort arrived to take the three Bedouins inside the settlement to the police station, despite protests from the guards.
We later learn that it took Suleiman nine hours to tell the police about his experience, and that the settlers’ daily attacks on his community have continued ever since.
Bedouins, like other Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, continue to live in stress and fear of settler attacks.