1/7 The Zionists told many lies about yesterday's attack. In the following thread and video - the true order of things. Yesterday morning, Palestinian landowners arrived to plow their lands in Wadi Suwayd, in coordination with the apartheid forces - which ended in a severe attack by the landowners and residents of the nearby village of Gawawis. timesofisrael.com/israeli-extrem…

link 2/7 Settlers came and blocked the tractor. Some of them sabotaged the tractor - pinched and cut cables, others chased the fleeing loggers. Settler Yitzhak Peled and other settlers invaded the nearby village of Gawawis, where the Solidarity activists and fleeing landowners had arrived. The tractor owner who fled to the city of Yatta was chased by Shem Tov Luski

3/7 Settlers continued to graze cows and sheep on the village lands, and more settlers continued to arrive. 2 tractors arrived at the scene and told the landowners to return to plowing the wadi with the tractor that had not been destroyed. About 20 settlers gathered again, some sat on the tractor, and some traveled on motorcycles and scooters between the houses in Gawis and Shab al-Boutum.

4/7 The army arrived again, frightened by the number of settlers and announced that the plowing had been canceled. At the same time: the settlers continued to invade the olive groves with herds and approached the houses, at this moment the army chose to leave the place. The settlers pulled out pepper spray and threatened the Palestinians to stab them if they came closer.

5/7 Villagers flee towards the houses as settlers threaten and push them. At the same time, about 10-15 masked settlers run towards the village with sticks and stones and surround the Palestinians near one of the houses. They start pushing and cursing, then hit them with clubs, spray everyone with pepper spray, and throw stones.

6/7 5 Palestinians were injured, including our friend Jibrin Abu Aram, a 60-year-old shepherd. When the army returned to the scene, the soldiers walked around the Palestinians with stun grenades in their hands, took pictures of them, and said that "they attacked settlers and threw stones and that they deserved the injuries." All this while the attacking settlers were still grazing in the cultivated lands around the village.

7/7 Military medics loaded the wounded villagers into a military ambulance that transported them by road to the Red Crescent and from there to the Byta Hospital. Police arrived, took ID cards from the solidarity activists and the Palestinians, and arrested two of the villagers who were attacked. After a few hours, they were released.

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This village in Masafer Yatta area was regularly harass by violent settlers in order to steal their land. The police's deliberate daily disregard for these crimes enables and legitimizes future attacks. The apartheid regime's unwillingness to enforce the law on settlers serves as an incentive for their acts of terror.

Chronology :

2020

On April 21, 2020, Jabarin Abu ‘Aram, a 56-year-old father of nine, was grazing his flock near Qawawis when two settlers from the Mitzpe Yair outpost approached him. One pepper-sprayed him, and both threw stones at him, stealing two of his goats. Abu ‘Aram’s wife intervened, but the settlers fled with the goats. Despite reporting the incident and providing evidence to the police, no action was taken, and the goats were never returned. Abu ‘Aram expressed frustration at the lack of protection, noting that settlers operate with impunity, leaving his family in fear of constant attacks. The outpost of Mitzpe Yair, established in 1998, has a history of encroaching on Palestinian lands near Route 317. source

2024

On Sunday, March 17, Jibril Nu’man, 59, was grazing his flock on his private land near Qawawis when a settler soldier ordered him to leave. After refusing, Nu’man and another shepherd, Taleb Nu’man, were handcuffed, detained for five hours without food during Ramadan, and taken to a military camp before being released later that evening.

On Saturday, March 23, Jibril Nu’man was again grazing his flock, this time with three Israeli activists, when a settler arrived, followed by two masked soldiers. One soldier threatened Nu’man with a gun, argued over the land’s ownership, and forced him to hand over his ID. After further confrontation, the soldiers tied and blindfolded Nu’man, beat him, and took him to a nearby camp, where he was detained for several hours without food, water, or the ability to pray. He was eventually dropped off far from his village.

In a testimony he gave B'tselem field researcher Basel al-Adrah on 23 March 2024, Jibril Nu’man recounted his detention by soldiers, some of whom he recognized as settlers

On May 15, Jibrin Abu Aram was arrested for the fourth time in recent months while on his private land by the soldiers-settlers from the Mitzpe Yair outpost, which has been attempting to seize Qawawis' land for years. The stated reason was his presence near an illegal road built by settlers on Palestinian land. Even under apartheid laws, Palestinians are allowed near the road, but colonial practices disregard such laws.

2025

On January 2: When settlers attacked Jibrin Abu Aram's neighbor the day before, the army and police refused to intervene, highlighting their role in perpetuating abuse against Palestinians to force them off their land.

Settlers infiltrated the village of Qawawis late at night and attacked Khaled Al-Najjar brutally. This is not the first time that Najjar has been injured in a settler attack; in 2001, he was seriously wounded when a settler shot him in the stomach. Yesterday, solidarity activists and residents of Qawawis tried several times to speak with the police and urged them to expel the settlers who invade the village lands and destroy fruit trees with their herds, but the police merely ask the settler to move. Five minutes later, as he goes deeper into the Palestinian orchards with his herd, they refuse to send the police back to the scene

On January 3: Soldiers arrested Jibrin Abu Aram from Qawawis while he visited his destroyed house on his private land. They pushed solidarity activists and harassed him, arresting him when he refused to leave.