More than NIS 900,000 was raised, and more than 3,000 donors chose, over the past week, to stand on the right side of the fence. This extraordinary show of solidarity will help around 100 Palestinian families install fences, gates, cameras and lighting to strengthen their protection against settler terrorism.
At Looking the Occupation in the Eye, we are deeply grateful for this support, for trust and for partnership. It cannot be taken for granted that thousands of people would mobilize within just a few days to do something tangible in response to the reality we encounter on the ground.
We know that the fences made possible by these donations are only one part of the struggle. They will not end the occupation, will not stop settler terrorism, or compel the security forces to protect Palestinians. Nor will they change a reality in which violence is repeatedly used to drive families and communities from their homes and lands. But they are certainly part of a broader effort, and for around 100 families they can make a real difference.
Our campaign has ended, but the struggle continues. Together with so many partners, organizations and initiatives working on the ground, we will continue our protective presence and continue to fight the occupation, violence and oppression — and for a different future for everyone living here, Palestinians and Israelis alike.
The donation page will remain open for the time being. Every additional donation will enable us to help more families in need of protection.
The Looking the Occupation in the Eye team has already approved NIS 20,000 for the protection of two homes in Qusra, where three of our activists were attacked in February. We are currently assessing homes in several locations, including Khirbet Abu Falah, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Majdal Bani Fadil and Hawara.
About two months ago, settlers took over the home of the Tubasi family on the outskirts of Jalud. About a month ago, the High Court ordered the state to return the family to its home. This week, settler rioters prevented the ruling from being implemented. As the state attempted to return three family members to their home, Jewish-terror activists drove the family and the police officers accompanying them out, set fire to the house and vehicles, and hurled stones at police officers and soldiers who arrived to assist in evacuating the family.
It has become clear that the security establishment was not properly prepared for the operation, which for some reason was carried out during the Sukkot holiday, when supporters of the occupation seeking to take action were staying at outposts, farms and settlements. The army, commanded in the West Bank by settler Major General Avi Blot, failed to notify the police and Shin Bet of its decision to return the family.
The events of Monday night were not unexpected. The army is the sovereign authority in the West Bank — which is occupied territory under Israeli law as well — and under international law it has a duty to protect all residents, Palestinians and Israelis alike. For years, and particularly since October 7, the army has cooperated with Jewish terrorism whose objective is the ethnic cleansing of Areas B and C. As a result, more than 100 communities have been driven from their homes and lands, while hundreds more are threatened by residents of farms and illegal outposts that are nurtured and supported by the state.
Everyone condemned the settler pogrom in Jalud, yet no one took meaningful steps to stop the process. The events in Jalud mark another stage in Israel’s deterioration as a state governed by the rule of law. Violent resistance and an assault on uniformed personnel in order to prevent the implementation of a High Court ruling indicate the direction in which the settlers and those who support them are seeking to move. One possible scenario is that, following the elections, a different government will emerge and seek to prevent the Jewish terrorism that is taking place today, prompting settlers and their supporters to revolt. We must be prepared to stop them.
Sunday — On the day she was supposed to return home in Jalud, the Tubasi family was forced to watch settlers once again invade their house. At the same time, settlers continue to enter Palestinian land and buildings in the area with the knowledge of the authorities.
The United Nations has expanded to 215 its “blacklist” of companies and businesses involved in settlement activity and activity in East Jerusalem. The list was first compiled in 2020 and until recently contained 158 companies. Although its significance is primarily declarative, the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel fears that it could harm the trade relations of Israeli businesses.
Monday — Settlers set fire to vehicles and sprayed graffiti in villages near Ramallah, according to Palestinian reports. In the village of Deir Abu Mashal, a residential home was vandalized, cars were set on fire, and graffiti was sprayed, including the phrases “Greetings from Sukkot in the hills,” “Vengeance belongs to God,” and “Revenge for Ein Riyah,” where a shooting attack took place on Yom Kippur eve near the settlement of Neve Tzuf. Settlers also set fire to vehicles in the village of Ras Karkar.
Tuesday — About two months ago, settlers took over the Tubasi family home in Jalud. About a month ago, the High Court ordered the state to return the family to its home. The IDF spokesperson reported: “IDF and Border Police forces operated overnight in the area of the village of Jalud, in the Shomron Brigade, to disperse Israeli rioters and protect the residents of the village, while the return of a Palestinian family to its home in the village had been coordinated. The family had been forced to leave following several incidents of nationalist crime against them. Due to the violence, the mission to return them to their home was not completed.
“More than 100 Israeli rioters were present in the village. They blocked roads, set tires on fire and hurled stones at security forces. The rioters also burned Palestinian structures in the village and set fire to vehicles and other property. Three Border Police officers were lightly injured in the clashes, and a security-force vehicle was damaged. The forces dispersed the gathering using riot-control measures and arrested two suspects, who were transferred for questioning by the Judea and Samaria District Police.”
The statement does not mention that the rioters entered the family’s home and that police officers had to protect the father, the mother and one of their sons and evacuate them in an armored vehicle, nor that the house was set on fire.
A commander of a force attempting to deal with the terror attacks told Channel 12 News: “I cannot remember violence as severe as what we saw that night. We have never experienced such intense violence against our forces. We saw between 100 and 200 rioters behaving with a very clear intention — to hurt you. This was an entirely different event, extreme, exceptional and violent. The rioters were extremely violent. The main instigators reeked of alcohol. At a certain point we ran out of riot-control equipment, and the last resort was to open fire — but there was an order not to use live ammunition. Large rocks were thrown at us, and burning tires were all around us. It was a situation in which you felt your life was in danger. Attacking security forces is a bright red line that was crossed here.”
It has also emerged that the IDF did not notify the police or Shin Bet about the operation to return the family to its home. As a result, only 12 Border Police officers were present, together with a small IDF force. Haaretz reported that officials in the police and Shin Bet were surprised by the decision of Central Command chief Avi Blot. One senior official emphasized that the timing was also questionable: “To undertake an operation like this during Sukkot, when the outposts are full of reinforcements, is irresponsible.”
Wednesday — Hundreds of Israelis entered Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus in the morning, while the IDF imposed a siege on most of the city’s neighborhoods.
Settlers set fire to a vehicle and sprayed graffiti in the village of Deir al-Sudan near Ramallah.
Thursday — Activists from Standing Together, Rabbis for Human Rights and Bnei Avraham who arrived to provide a protective presence ahead of the olive harvest near the village of Janata in the West Bank were attacked by settlers. The settlers attacked them with pepper spray, stones and clubs. After being called the army arrived only later.
A 51-year-old man was killed by settler gunfire from an outpost near Yasuf and others were wounded. Soldiers delayed the ambulance evacuating the wounded, and one uniformed officer threw the vehicle’s keys to the side of the road. According to the settlers, a group of Jewish hikers who had gone swimming in a water reservoir between the settlements of Tapuach and Rehelim was attacked by local residents. The army was called and opened fire toward the Palestinians.
Friday — Settlers and an IDF force raided the village of Awarta near Nablus overnight. Settlers were filmed smashing the windows of Palestinian vehicles. Soldiers dispersed the crowd using tear gas. Five residents required medical treatment.
Settlers, accompanied by soldiers, entered a closed Palestinian compound on the outskirts of the town of Taybeh. The intruders smashed all the security cameras, damaged property, stole money, sprayed the residents with pepper spray and beat a family member living there.
Bahaa Sami Amin al-Natsheh, 19, from Kafr Aqab, was shot dead by a settler.
