comewithSha'b el Butum - settlers from Mitzpe Yair destroy the crops with their herds

We went to Sha'b el Butum whose people are suffering from the abuse of Mitzpe Yair and Mitzpe Abigail settlers.

The children are at home today because of a strike in response to the death of Khader Adnan who was on hunger strike in prison for 86 days.

This small settlement is located in the middle between the two settlements. There are about 35 families in it and the lands where grain, vegetables, olives and vines are grown have been theirs since time immemorial. The police who are called each time tell the settlers that these are lands that do not belong to anyone and withdraw the settlers back to their homes and then they disperse. But they continue to come with their herds almost every day and raid the fields and thus destroy the crops. The army comes every time there is a conflict and protects the settlers who come claiming that these are state lands and they deserve to be enslaved. On the way there we passed by a place called Wadada which is suffering from attacks by settlers. A tractor is working there preparing the area to build a winery.

We arrived at Sha'b el Butum and met Ishak, the head of the Jabarin family, also Mahmud Musa from the Najara family says that shortly before we arrived, the settlers with their herds from Mitzpe Yair came onto his lands where the wheat and barley are intended for human and animal consumption.

Ishak Jabarin says it happens every day.

Ta'ayush and volunteers come to their aid

He also says that last Saturday the settlers chased after his sons. Mitzpe Abigail is about 600 m from their settlement.

In the videos you can see the difference between the ruins of their houses that were destroyed about 3 months ago compared to the expansion of Abigail, the new villas and the trailers that were added.

The trend of the Israeli government is clear and visible.

The people also tell us that 4 days ago settlers came and claimed that they had stolen sheep and there was a real physical confrontation between them. The army and the police came with the settlers and did a search and when they saw that they didn't have any of their sheep they left.

While talking, a neighbour whose house is closer to Mitzpe Yair calls and says that half an hour ago settlers came to him and tried to scare him. Again. Police and army were called and again the army says that these are state lands and the police said that these are Palestinian lands that are close to his house.

So the situation is this: the army protects the settlers and the police "protects" the Palestinians.

Fortunately, peace organizations and volunteers come to their aid. Ishak says that they destroyed 500 dunams of theirs in their raids on the sheep.