As Coronavirus Spreads in West Bank, Palestinians Also Face Greater Settler Violence

On March 24, in the West Bank, Naji Tantara was hospitalized with a skull fracture after being attacked with an ax. Arua Nasan was hit in the face with a hammer and beaten by youths with iron rods. Eight settlers surrounded Ali Zoabi while he was lying on the ground, and kicked him repeatedly.

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Haaretz Weekly Ep. 72

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Israeli security forces and human rights organizations have recorded a rise in attacks on Palestinians by Jews in the West Bank in the past few weeks. Sources in both attribute it to the Israeli government closing down educational institutions because of the coronavirus epidemic.

According to data provided to Haaretz by a defense official, 16 physical confrontations were recorded in March between settlers and Palestinians, compared to only nine in February and five in January. Human rights organizations operating in the area corroborate the trend: Out of the 51 cases of violence, vandalism, theft and threats recorded by monitor B’Tselem since the beginning of 2020, 21 took place in March alone.

Ax, hammer and iron rods


Arua Nasan, showing injuries he suffered on March 24, 2020, after a confrontation with Jewish settlers near the Ein Samia spring in the West Bank.Courtesy of Arua Nasan

On March 24, in the early afternoon, a settler and his herd of cows arrived at the olive orchard of the village of Umm Safa north of Ramallah. Residents of the village who spoke with Haaretz said the settler is known to them, has lived in the nearby agricultural outpost for the past two years and occasionally tries to prevent village residents from walking around the area.

Said Tantara, a resident of the village, says that when the cattle arrived at the orchard, a few youths threw rocks at the herd in an attempt to drive them off. Naji Tantara, Said’s cousin and the deputy head of the village council, said he came down to the site to speak with the settler and ask him to distance his cows from the orchard.