A Palestinian taxi driver was attacked by settlers near Barta'a on the Green Line
Armed settlers attack Palestinian cab driver
Settlers block the route of a taxi driver from Barta'a on the Green Line, beat him and tell him: 'It's forbidden for you to be here.' The taxi driver submitted a complaint to the police after having to be rushed to hospital.
A Palestinian taxi driver was attacked by armed settlers at the end of last week next to the settlement of Mevo Dotan in the northern West Bank. Mahmoud Kabaha, from the town of Barta'a on the Green Line near Umm al-Fahm, was wounded and taken to a hospital in Jenin for treatment.
Footage of the incident, which was obtained by Ynet on Monday, gives a glimpse into the daily reality of violence against local residents and the sense of powerlessness even when Israeli security forces on the scene.
Video footage showing Palestinian being attacked by settlers
A passenger in the taxi filmed the attack. In the footage, one can hear the settler telling the taxi driver: "Don't come any closer and turn around now," and then attacking him.
The taxi driver shouts: "Don't raise your hand."
The settler replies: "Go home, get in the car."
The taxi driver gets out of the car and calls for help, shouting: "Soldiers, soldiers!"
The settlers shout at him: "Go away, it's forbidden for you to be here."
Still from video showing settlers attacking Palestinian taxi driver near Barta'a
Kabaha told Ynet that the attack happened during the afternoon, between the Richan checkpoint near Barta'a and Mevo Dotan.
"I was carrying a few passengers towards Barta'a. But settlers blocked my way and wouldn't let me continue on the journey.
"There were soldiers there who tried to open the road again, against the wishes of the settlers," Kabaha added.
"While I was waiting in the taxi two armed settlers approached me and told me to go back, not to continue on the same route. But I didn't follow their order," Kabaha continued. "So the two settlers struck me in the face several times and hit me in the eyes.
"I got out of the car to call for help, I called the soldiers, but I was forced to get back in the taxi because of the settlers' threats."
Kabaha added that he also called for the police. Officers arrived on the scene and took down personal details of the settlers, who denied that they had attacked him.
"I also let out the passengers, although they hadn't reached their destination," Kabaha said. "I went to the hospital in Jenin so I could get treatment for the severe pain in my head that resulted from the attack."
He submitted a complaint about the attack to Ariel police on Saturday. After the incident, MK Yousef Jabareen (Joint List) turned to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, saying: "The incident must be investigated and the settlers responsible brought before the law.
"The footage shows just a small portion of settlers' abuse of Palestinians and their continuous attacks on them," Jabareen said. "Settlers take the law into their own hands. There is no law and no judge. They act out of a sense of superiority and lordship that is nourished by the apartheid regime in the territories."
The Samaria and Judea District Police responded that they had opened an investigation into the incident.
