Madama - settlers injure Palestinians

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Observers: 
Fathiya A., Tziona S. (reporting) Drive: Muhammad; Translator: Hanna K.
Jan-16-2020
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Morning

The terror of the Yitzhar settlers hits the villages situated below the settlement, and endangers their lives. And there is no institution which protects them. Urif, Burin and Madama which are situated exactly below Yitzhar were attached on the day on which two houses at Yitzhar were vacated by the border police.  Each village in a different manner. As this occurred immediately after the two houses at Yitzhar were vacated, it is reasonable to assume that it occurred in the framework of a “price tag” action. Details below.

14:00 – Sara CP

At this checkpoint the traffic usually flows without problems. This was the first time we saw an enormous queue, of which one couldn’t see the beginning, which extended from the Nablus exit . When we asked for the reason for the delay, the soldiers answered: This is a routine check-post. This is also the answer we received at the DCO. When we claimed that we hadn’t seen such a routine till now, there was no reply.

Burin

Our acquaintance Doha from Burin told us a nice story. Settlers and soldiers entered the school area during study time and began singing and dancing. The teachers who were used to similar events , the aim of the singing and dancing was clear – to irritate the students so that when they would leave the classes they would begin throwing stones at them, and so the soldiers would have a reason to imprison them. Therefore the teachers kept the students confined in the classes for a long time, until the uninvited visitors got fed up and left the place.

Pogrom initiators at Madama

A family from Madama was this time the victim of most of the violence.

Our car climbed up the hill to the houses which stand at the highest point of the village, nearest to Yitzhar, so that the Yitzhar settlers have no problem sliding down in their direction. We arrived at the house of Yihye Muhammad Said Kot. The house was shut and empty. The windows were broken. Neighbours told us that after the attack of the day before the family had left the house and went to sleep at relatives.

When we got to the house of the relatives the landlady told us about life under the threat of the settlers. The children live in a kind of prison, as they do not allow them to go out and play. A quarter of an hour later the wife of Yihye Muhamad arrived from hospital, bared a blue foot caused by a stone and told us about the attach of the day before. These are her words, translated by Fathiya:

On Wednesday morning at 11:30 I was sitting outside with my sister and sister in law, and we were having coffee in the warm sun. Suddenly a group of masked people approached. We didn’t suspect that these were settlers, as those do not usually arrive in the morning hours, but they immediately began throwing stones in our direction. We hurriedly fled in to the house. A big stone hit my pregnant sister on the back and threw her down. They tried to enter the house but we pushed the door with all our force and managed to lock it. However, our phones remained outside to that we could not call anybody.

The rioters continued to throw stones into the house and broke windows. I began shouting at the window in the hope that somebody in the neighbourhood would hear us.  In the meantime young men and others from the village arrived and chased them away. The young men ran after them, until they left. But they had also stolen the phones and only one was left. Thus I managed to summon relatives. One of my legs which was hit by a stone was already blue and I was in need of medical help. The pregnant woman who was hit in the back was taken away for medical care.

We left the house and slept at relatives, fearing that the rioters would return at night. We shall stay there until the windows are repaired. In the meantime I cannot return home for emotional reasons as well, the fear and the trauma. Luckily the small children were at school, but the little two year old girl was with us.

In the meantime the Council contacted the DCO. Ten minutes after the settlers had left the army arrived. My brother in law asked them to come and see the damage, but they refused.