Israeli occupation forces assault elderly Palestinian amputee and international activists

On the morning of 15 December, Israeli occupation forces descended on Sheikh Said’s land in Rakiz, a village in Masafer Yatta. The International Solidarity Movement reports:

Occupation forces turn up instead of police

The Palestinian family had recently erected a razor wire fence to prevent settler sheep and ATVs entering their land. The fence had only been there a short while when a settler came and began tearing it down.

Sheikh Said called the police multiple times though they never arrived at the scene. However, at least twelve members of the Israeli military showed up to intimidate and harass the Palestinian family further.

Together the army and the settlers removed the fence, allowing a settler ATV to pass further onto Sheikh Said’s land.

Part of this military harassment included the Israeli occupation forces brutally assaulting Sheikh Said. He lost his leg in April when he was shot by settler security Binyamin Bodenheimer and prevented from receiving immediate medical care by armed forces.

The soldiers stole his crutches and laughed loudly as Sheikh Said clutched his amputated leg whilst screaming in pain. They violently arrested Sheikh Said and forcibly carried him to a military vehicle, all while he continued screaming in pain.

He has since been released but is in hospital due to injuries sustained during the arrest.

Attacks on human rights activists

In the afternoon, at around 4.05pm, more than three army and police vehicles invaded the nearby village of Tuwani. At least 15 armed soldiers then raided the home of prominent human rights activist Hafez Hureini and many of his neighbors.

Then, ten to 12 heavily armed occupation soldiers arrived at an apartment where international activists were staying. They demanded entry to the apartment, and threatened to break the door down.

When a volunteer agreed to open the door, the soldiers assaulted her as they barged into the apartment. They showed no documentation and refused to give a reason as to why they were there.

Soldiers forced activists out of bed, demanded IDs and aggressively photographed volunteers alongside their passports. They detained the activists in the apartment for about 20 minutes.

These actions are indicative of the rapidly escalating incursions and land grabs across the West Bank. From attacks on both Palestinian families and international activists in Al Mughayyir, to multiple raids in refugee camps, state-sanctioned violence continues to ramp up daily.

These are just two incidents in an area where there are many inexcusable acts of violence aiming to drive Palestinians off their land. We call on the international community not to let these acts of increasing violence and intimidation go unchecked.

As the International Solidarity Movement was preparing this statement, at 3am 16 December, several settlers invaded a Palestinian family at their own home. They attacked both the family and international volunteers. They arrived with sticks and bolt cutters to beat the family, injuring one Palestinian with the bolt cutters.

Featured image via International Solidarity Movement