On Wednesday January 26 at 10 am, settlers from the militant Bat Ayn settlement destroyed several hundred olive trees in the Ayen Al-Baid region of Beit Ommar. The trees belonged to Hamad Soleiby, a 70 year-old farmer who has been repeatedly subject to violence and harassment at the hands of the Bat Ayn settlers. Hamad Soleiby was beaten by settlers in 2004, and his fruit trees and grape vines were cut down by settlers the same year. The olive trees that were destroyed this week were at least 30 years old.

Hamad Soleiby has continued to work his land despite settler violence and intimidation. He swears that he will continue to work his land, even if it means that … Continue reading

On Friday, January 7th, at 10am, Israeli settlers attacked Azmi Shoyokhi, a general member of all National Committees in the West Bank, while he was supporting Palestinian farmers in Om Al-Arrays, in the South Hebron Hills. About a dozen settlers surrounded Azmi, striking him in his head. Israeli military along with police were in the area and witnessed the attack, but they did nothing to intervene.

Palestinian organizers with the Palestine Solidarity Project were also present in Om Al-Arrays at the time of the attack to show solidarity with Kamal Nawajeaa, a farmers who owns 1500 dunums of land close to an Israeli settlement. Settlers plant … Continue reading

The Bat Ayn settlement was established in the early 1990s by a breakaway group from the nearby Gush Etzion settlement. Bat Ayn was established under the guidance of the controversial Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburg. Rabbi Ginsburg has been quoted in the New York Times as stating that “any trial based on the assumption that Jews and goyim [non-Jewish people] are equal is a total travesty of justice”. Rabbi Ginsburg also praised the actions of Baruch Goldstein who in 1994 murdered 29 people and wounded more than 125 people who were praying in a mosque in Hebron.

Bet Ayn is one of over 200 Israeli settlements within the … Continue reading

Last night settlers from the Bat Ayn settlement set fire to 70 olive trees in the Saffa region of Beit Ommar. The trees belonged to the Thalji Aady family, who have been subject to frequent settler violence and military harassment. The fire was lit around 9:30 pm, and burned for 3 hours before fire trucks from the village were able to extinguish the flames. At 11:00 pm 3 military jeeps arrived and attempted to prevent villagers from extinguishing the fire, arresting 3 Palestinian youth in the process.

Settlers from the Bat Ayn settlement frequently destroy trees belonging to Palestinian farmers in Saffa, and several farmers … Continue reading

On October 25th, 2010, a Palestinian couple from the village of Beit Ommar were injured after an Israeli settler vehicle ran them off the road in the early evening. Wael Awwad Badran Awwad 28, and his wife Sarah Jowwad Fu’ad Qutina 25, were driving to the city of Hebron on Route 60, when a settler car forced him off the road and then sped away. The couple sustained moderate injuries and are currently in the Ahil Hospital in Hebron. Sarah, who is four months pregnant, suffered from a broken wrist and leg. Wael sustained several broken ribs as a result of the hit and run. The front of their car was badly damaged.

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On Wednesday, October 6th, 2010, Israeli settlers from Karmei Tsur shot at three Palestinian farmers from Beit Ommar as they were working their lands twenty meters away from the settlement fence. At around 3pm, three settlers behind the fence shouted at Ahmed Abu Hashem, Ali Ayyad Awad, and Ali’s 16-year-old son as they were using a tractor to work their fields. The settlers shouted at them to leave the area before two of the settlers began shooting live bullets directly at the farmers. The farmers sought cover behind their tractor as at least six shots were fired. Fortunately there were no injuries. Two settler security cars were present near the fence at the time of … Continue reading

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian Authority police have launched an investigation into a fire in a mosque believed to have been caused by Israeli settlers overnight in a Bethlehem town, the district’s chief prosecutor said Monday.

Alaa Tamimi arrived at the scene of the suspected arson attack against the Al-Anbiya Mosque in the Beit Fajjar town and said investigations would be launched into it “and all settler assaults against Palestinians are being documented as requested by Attorney Muhammad Al-Mughanni.”

Locals told Ma’an on Monday that several settlers ransacked mosque overnight and set fire to carpets inside. Muhammad Taqatqa, who lives next to the mosque, said he saw a white car with Israel license plates leaving the town after the mosque was set on … Continue reading

Ibrahim Muhammad Biss’s curiosity was slightly piqued when a car driving slowly along Route 60 came to a halt in front of him and his group of friends at the entrance to the Aroub refugee camp just north of Beit Ommar on a Thursday in early June. 16-year- old Ibrahim, who lives in the camp, was waiting for traffic to pass so he could cross the street to enter the Aroub Agricultural College. Assuming the driver was stopping to ask the boys for directions, Ibrahim watched as the middle-aged man lowered the window.

Instead of an inquiring foreigner, Ibrahim found himself facing an Israeli settler pointing a handgun at … Continue reading

This morning at 10am a settler driving north on route 60 stopped his car outside the Agricultural School and University of Arroub and in front of the Arroub Refugee camp, just north of Beit Ommar. He stopped, got out of his car, and fired several live bullets into the air, prompting students on one side of the street to begin shouting at him and others across the street to throw stones at the car. He then turned and shot two students standing in front of the entrance to the school. Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Bis, 19, was shot in the stomach and back, Mu’atez Mousa Benat, 17, was shot … Continue reading