Jerusalem - Maan Report - After their home in the 1960s was located in the middle of vast lands far from the noise of the city, it became more like an isolated island in the middle of the “Pisgat Zeev” settlement, bordered not only by the settlers’ buildings, but also by their repeated attacks and provocations.
Since 1963, the Gharablah family has established their home in the town of Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, in an area that was almost devoid of homes and residents, with large areas of land. However, after the occupation of the city, specifically in 1985, the occupation confiscated 4,500 dunams from the area, in order to establish a settlement. Pisgat Zeev” at the expense of the landowners. The occupation began in the northern part of the town’s lands, then the settlement extended and expanded towards the mountain, and expanded at the expense of the town’s lands.
Since the construction of the settlement, the daily and permanent suffering of the landowners began from the settlers’ attacks and provocations against them and their property. The last of these attacks occurred “on the eve of Yom Kippur,” late on Sunday evening, and while the forces were closing the streets and roads, a settlement contacted the police. Under the pretext of “children attacking a cat” while playing with it, the forces attacked boys, children, women and young men, with gas, electric shocks, beatings and arrests.
Citizen Abu Al-Majd Gharablah, a resident of the area, said that attacks by settlers and police against them are frequent.
He added: “Among the attacks that occur almost daily, when our children go to play in the playgrounds and parks established in the place, the settlers do not like to see Arab children with them.” He explained: “Our children go out to play in the park, which is only about 100 meters away from our homes, and upon their arrival, provocations begin.” And the settlers harassed them, telling them (You are forbidden to play this game, you are forbidden to walk from here..), and when we intervene to protect our children, the police come quickly to the place, and stand on the side of the settlers, and it may even come to arresting us.”
Gharablah said: “The police believe any word or complaint from the settlers, but if we wished to complain about them, there would be no response or interest in any complaint.”
Abu Al-Majd pointed out an incident that took place a while ago, in which one of the settlers beat a young man from the family with an iron rod. We immediately contacted the police, who came to the place, but upon their arrival, they did not show any interest in what happened, and they did not arrest or field-interrogate any settler, noting that The aggressor settler was present in the place.”
Among the attacks experienced by residents of the area are attacks on homes and vehicles in various forms, provocations, insults, and racist slogans.
As for the young man in his thirties, Mahmoud Gharablah, he is still suffering from the pain of “beatings and burns” after being targeted by beatings and arrest two days ago. He said: “The occupation wants us to disrupt the Jewish holidays. They do not want us to leave our house. On Sunday evening, I was heading to the pharmacy to buy medicine for my child. I was surprised that the police attacked a number of children. I tried to talk to the policeman to find out what was going on, but he refused and “hit me with electric shocks,” while two policemen sprayed gas directly in my face, and during that time, women and children were attacked in the place.”
The young man, Gharablah, added: “The police pursued me and arrested me, and while I was being taken to the detention center and inside the center, the beatings and insults with obscene words and gestures did not stop.”
He noted that the police released him after hours of investigation and detention, on condition of house arrest for several days.
The boy, Majd Gharablah, 16 years old, was not spared from beatings and assaults, despite his movement in a wheelchair after a fracture in his knee two weeks ago. He said: “We were playing with a cat in the yard in front of our house, and a female settler who lives in the area objected and called the police. When the police stormed the place, they started attacking us with gas and beatings.” And the prosecution, and they arrested me.”
The boy, Gharablah, pointed out that the forces deliberately beat him with batons on his broken foot, and beat him inside the car and during his detention in the center. After investigation, he was released on the condition of house arrest for 3 days and signing a financial bail.
Despite the daily suffering experienced by residents in the region, they stress their steadfastness and rootedness in their land, their adherence to their right to it, and that daily attacks and provocations do not affect them.
Source: Maan News Agency