Incident outside our window

In the neighbourhood of Tel Rumeida, Hebron, our ISM apartment is strategically located between the houses of the settlers and Palestinians. The reason for this is that when abuses take place, we can be close enough to quickly get there and document what is happening, and when possible, intervene.

A few hours ago, a half dozen settler kids and teenagers were yelling at a Palestinian teenager, who was standing in front of his fence.


We don't know how the incident started. A Palestinian boy who was watching said that the settlers threw a rock at him. When I asked some of the soldiers, they said "we don't know". One of them told me there was a "verbal dispute". No one accused the Palestinian kid of using violence against the settler kids, which would have very likely happened had he thrown a rock or tried to fight them.

Some Israeli soldiers walked into the confrontation, but instead of telling the Israeli settler kids to get away from the Palestinian home, they closed the gate on the Palestinian kid. By that time he was yelling back at the settler kids who were shouting at him.

The soldier who spoke to me claimed that they were doing this "for the boy's protection". We asked him why he couldn't have the Israeli kids leave, instead of shutting the Palestinian boy in his yard- given the fact that they were close to his property and in his neighbourhood, not vice versa. One of the settler teenagers swore at Matthew, one of the ISMers, telling him to "f_ off".

A few minutes later, the Palestinian boy and his family left the house to go on a walk. The settler kids, still standing in front of their gate, glared at them but didn't touch them.


I found the reaction of the soldiers to be remarkable. Instead of telling aggressive settler youth to leave the house of a person they were threatening, they had their victim closed up inside. These are the same guys who detain Palestinian men for not carrying ID and haul Palestinian teenagers into police stations and throw sound bombs into crowds of people. They are able to do all that, but somehow when it comes to dealing with settler kids and teenagers who are bullying a boy who is outnumbered six to one, they become utterly powerless and can't even explain what is happening.

Israeli settler youth crowd bullying a Palestinian boy.

In response to the situation, one of the soldiers closes the gate, shutting the boy in his yard. No effort is made to tell the settler kids to move (1).

In response to the situation, one of the soldiers closes the gate, shutting the boy in his yard. No effort is made to tell the settler kids to move (2).

In response to the situation, one of the soldiers closes the gate, shutting the boy in his yard. No effort is made to tell the settler kids to move (3).

The Palestinian family leave the house to go for a walk.

Israeli soldiers and children of the settlers hang out.