'Our lives have become hell'
Palestinian villagers have endured three days of harassment by settlers from nearby community, local council member tells Ynet
ASIRA AL-QIBLIYA - Palestinian residents from the village of Asira al-Qibliya have been harassed by youngsters from the nearby Yitzhar settlement for the past three days, local council member Mohammad Shami tells Ynet.
"After they destroyed our homes on Friday - vandalizing our walls and windows and destroying our doors - suddenly we heard the sound of glass shattering and women screaming during the night (Sunday)," Shami says.
"Once again we discovered that the settlers from Yitzhar had come to visit," he says.
Shami says the settlers descended on their village on Friday at about 1 p.m. and headed towards houses scattered at the community's outskirts
IDF does nothing to help
"As soon as they arrived they started sowing destruction in the
One local resident said IDF soldiers just stood and observed what was happening and did nothing to prevent the vandalism.
"Only once they (settlers) attempted to move on to the next house, did the soldiers try to prevent them from continuing their journey of destruction," the resident said.
On Sunday, the settlers returned to the village and continued were they had left off.
Living in fear
According to the residents, the IDF is familiar with the problem, but has failed to properly address the issue.
As a result, the lives of local residents have "turned into hell," one resident villager said.
"What's happening here is crazy," Shami said. "People
feel completely vulnerable to this abuse by the settlers and the army does nothing about it."According to Shami, the problem is not confined to his village only, but happens elsewhere as well.
"The settlers cause the same suffering to people wherever they are," he said. "This demands action, not only for Asira, but in regards to the whole settler issue."
Yitzhar spokesman: It's all rubbish
In response, Yitzhar spokesman Yigal Amit said that during the Purim festivities on Friday, a number of youths had a little too much to drink.
As the drunken youngsters approached the nearby village, a confrontation erupted between the two sides.
"The adults realized what was happening and took it upon themselves to return the intoxicated boys back to the settlement and end the incident," he said.
He also denied IDF allegations that the youths attacked the soldiers, characterizing an army official's account of the incident as "fantasy."
"It did not happen, nor did it exist, it's all evil, made-up rubbish," he said. "The residents of Yitzhar are warning that nameless 'military official' , who we are all familiar with, to cease his false accusations and slander...or else we'll reveal all the information we have on him."
