Israeli settlers attack West Bank village, impede Palestinian family’s return home
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has continued as more than100 Israeli settlers have carried out attacks in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, stopping a family escorted by the Israeli military from returning to their homes, which had been seized weeks ago by settlers.
Two houses belonging to the al-Tubasi family in Jalud, south of Nablus, were set on fire in the raid on Monday night and Israeli security forces were also targeted by settlers. Human rights groups say the events show how Israeli authorities are failing to take effective action against settler violence.
“It was extremely terrifying, beyond words. It’s hard to imagine the situation,” Mahmoud al-Tubasi told the BBC.
“My feeling now is that I am happy to have escaped death. I genuinely expected they were going to kill us.”
Al-Tubasi, 60, his wife Aida, 51, and their 33-year-old son, Wael, had returned to their properties accompanied by Israeli forces after Israel’s High Court ruled earlier this month that they must be allowed to go back.
The family was forced to leave this summer after weeks of settler harassment and attacks. Extremist settlers had set up an illegal outpost close to Jalud and besieged three houses, including two belonging to the al-Tubasis’ sons who are married with young daughters.
Al-Tubasi said that he was called at about midnight and told that there was coordination with Israel’s military for his family to go back to their houses. He received a message from Israeli officials saying that if he wanted to reclaim his property he had to go immediately with the army and Israeli border police.
By torchlight, the family inspected one home. A video shared with the BBC shows that the settlers had already extensively damaged it – smashing holes through doors, tearing out electrical fittings, ripping up tiles, breaking windows and leaving rubbish strewn about. The toilet was smashed and appeared to be full of human waste.
A large number of extremist settlers arrived in Jalud after alerts were posted in WhatsApp groups they use to coordinate action, saying that the Palestinian family they had forced out was returning and should be stopped.
“As soon as we entered the house, which had already been completely destroyed, settlers started throwing stones at us. The army responded by firing tear gas at them, but there were so many settlers, more than 150, that the army could no longer control them,” al-Tubasi told the BBC.
