1/5 This morning, settler Yinon Levi invaded the village of Zanuta again, proudly wearing a Judea and Samaria (Yoshomer) shirt. He invited his fellow soldiers and policemen and asked them to help him steal one of the sheep from the villagers' flock, claiming that it was stolen from him. The soldiers and policemen not only complied with the request - but also took the sheep and the owner of the flock with them.

2/5 The policeman said they were going for an "inspection," meaning the sheep would be kept by the police until they decided who owned it. They loaded the sheep onto the settlers' vehicle and drove to the Meitar industrial zone.

3/5 When the residents of Zanuta returned to the village from which they had been expelled, there was a thought, some unfounded hope, that perhaps - after the High Court of Justice's decision, and the multiple sanctions imposed on the settlers of Havat Meitarim, the Zionist terrorist forces would be forced to at least put on a show: as if they were not trying to expel the residents again.

4/5 From the day they returned to the village, it was clear that this was not the case - the army and the police are not interested in putting on a show. There is no point, they and their commanders understand very well that there is no hiding the true face of Zionism - terror, expulsion, dispossession, ethnic cleansing. No one intends to stop them.

5/5 At this moment, the police and the settlers' vehicle had already left along with the sheep, and other settlers from the Meitar farm remained inside the village, hanging out and playing in the residents' private water holes.

Event Overview:

Khirbet Zanuta, a community in the southern West Bank, was displaced on November 1, 2023, due to settler attacks. Over 140 people, including the S. and N. families, fled the area.

Chronology of Events:

End of 2023

October 7, 2023: Settlers began intensifying attacks after this date.

Settlers entered houses, cursed and threatened children. They threw stones at homes, preventing families from sleeping for 10 days. Settlers bulldozed and blocked the main road into Khirbet Zanuta.

Settler Attacks on the Saleh S.’s family

October 31, 2023: Six armed settlers attacked Saleh S.’s brother, Mahmoud. Mahmoud was detained, beaten, and choked by settlers. Mahmoud and Saleh recognized the leader of the settlers, who had been cutting water pipes and harassing the community with drones.

November 1, 2023: The entire extended family fled after settlers threw rocks at them while they were leaving. The family rented trucks for 3,200 shekels (around $860) to move 300 sheep and left behind most of their belongings. They built new rooms near al-Dhahiriya but struggled financially without access to their lands.

Post-displacement: The family paid 60,000 shekels (around $16,000) to build a new sheep shelter, but could not maintain the flock due to lack of access to water and land.

Settler Attacks on the N. Family:

Munir and Sara N., both 38, and their nine children also faced multiple attacks.

Early October: Settlers, accompanied by soldiers, assaulted neighbors and destroyed property. A stun grenade was thrown inside the N. family’s home, terrifying their children. Settlers threatened the family, giving them 24 hours to leave or face being set on fire. The family rented trucks for 2,100 shekels (about $560) to move livestock. Repeated drone attacks by settlers caused sheep to panic, resulting in the death of 10 sheep.

Munir’s family fell into debt and expressed a desire to return home if safety could be guaranteed.

School Destruction:

October 7, 2023: Schools in Khirbet Zanuta shifted to online learning, but families lacked internet devices.

November 20-21, 2023: The local school, built with EU and UK support, was burned in an apparent arson attack and later bulldozed. The kindergarten, subsidized and affordable, was destroyed, leaving children like 4-year-old Nadia without access to early education. Education Losses:

The destroyed school had 27 students from kindergarten to 6th grade. Civil society groups had partnered with the school for psycho-social support and health programs, which were lost after the school’s destruction.

[Source https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/17/west-bank-israel-responsible-rising-settler-violence]