Fadua from Humsa was attack by settlers a year and a half ago, when she was alone in the residential compound (the men were out grazing the flocks).  The 4 settlers arrived in a pickup truck, threatened her with death, turned on the water tanker faucet, tried to steal the donkey (who ran away) and tried to ignite one of the tents. As chance would have it, I was in the area with an American journalist, and drove over there. When the settlers saw my car approaching, they leapt into their own vehicle and ran away. I managed to photograph their registration number. Apparently, the vehicle belongs to a settler from the illegal outpost near Masuah colony. The next day, I took Fadua to the police station and she lodged her complaint against one of the settlers. After having us wait there the whole day, I nearly forced the only interrogator who understands Arabic to change his mind about going home and accept the complaint.

Several days ago, Nufar of the police called and demanded that Fadua come to identify the assailant in a lineup. She was a bit reluctant to go, using various excuses. I think she was afraid of his revenge, but our lawyer convinced her to come.

Dan and I went to Humsa in the early morning, picked up Fadua and went to Benjamin Gate to identify the settler. On our way we stopped by an event involving the police, settlers and Palestinians who had been chased away from their usual grazing ground.

We drove on to the police station. Fadua was quickly admitted for the identification and the entire process took about half an hour. Thanks, Nufar! But Fadua could not identify the settler. In one of the pictures, she saw someone familiar but was not sure so she didn’t point him out. Let us remember that a year and a half had passed and at the time she was very scared. We invited Fadua to coffee and cake at a nearby café and enjoyed some moments of quiet and ease.

At 2:20 p.m. we crossed the Beqa’ot Checkpoint. A long line of about 20 cars from the direction of Nablus was waiting.

We brought Fadua back home and then visited Burhan. Then we drove to Al Farisiya  as a protective presence vigil, since no regular accompanier team arrived. We spent a quiet afternoon with the women and children of Al Farisiya under the tree in the middle of the village. 3 of the 4 men were at Ein a-sakut where they graze their flocks in the summer months. They used to bring their families there for it’s an open site, a bit higher and more airy, but following attacks by settlers from Shadmot Mekhola last year it was decided that only men would move there.  This year they are often attacked and threatened with murder, again and again. They are desperate. Unfortunately, the number of accompanying activists is not sufficient for providing defense around the clock for both communities. The Palestinians say that settlers from Rotem above see when there is no Israeli car present and come down to commit pogroms in the communities. They threaten., beat up and break into the shanties, leaving destruction and ruin behind.

In the afternoon, some women wished to send their husbands at Ein a-sakut sugar and I volunteered. I took four 7-12-year-olds with me and off we drove. At Ein a-sakut , Ahmad showed me the opposite hill, covered with plenty of green grass. The settlers violently prevent him from grazing there, and his own grounds no longer have any grass. What is going to happen? How will they live? They cannot afford to buy feed for the sheep.

The children asked to view the spring at Ein a-sakut , 3-4 kilometers away, which they have never seen. We drove there. On our way a car with Israeli license plates passed and the children cried “Settlers! Let’s go back, we’ll get beaten up!” The fear in their voices was terrifying. I told them they were safe inside the car, that not every Israeli is a settler – we, their favorite activists, are Israelis, too.

When we got to the spring, we found the gates wide open and an adult swimming there with 3 children. The Palestinian children were crazed with joy. Luckily, I had locked the doors (fearing they would leap out uncontrollably and one might drown). They called their parents and yelled, “we are at the spring, it’s so beautiful!!”

We returned to Al Farisiya where I had left Dan alone. The women begged us to join them for supper, but at 6:30 p.m. I wanted to begin the drive home so as to refrain from driving through the West Bank in the dark. The women and children begged us tearfully to remain until the night shift of “Protective Presence” arrives for if the settlers discover that the Israeli car has left, they would come. This is life under fear of terrorism at any moment. We left but after 5 minutes I had second thoughts and turned around. I couldn’t leave them in their present condition. The joyful cries that welcomed us must have resounded in the entire surrounding. We left without car lights on, so settlers wouldn’t see that we had left. The night shift arrived a bit later. The next day, at 6:30 p.m. a settler from Rotem came and threatened the villagers (as the activists reported).

On our way home beside Evyatar, by the olive tree groves belonging to Qablan village, a huge fire raged. The army blocked the way for about half an hour, and friendly soldiers informed us that the road is blocked due to stone-throwing as well. A Palestinian car passed us, its windshield crashed. This proves that both stone-throwing and the fires were caused by Evyatar youth. Perhaps I’m wrong. But if the reverse were true we would have been informed by the official media… At the entrance to the illegal outpost Evyatar stood numerous soldiers with at least 20 youths, ornate with their typical wild side-curls. In spite of the huge fire, we saw not a single fire engine and this too proves that the victim area is Palestinian, for it is habitual for Israel to prevent the access of firefighters as well as ambulances to rescue Arab life and property, in violation of International Law that demands that the occupying force protect civilians under its charge.

We reached Tel Aviv at 10 p.m.