Mufaqara- the settlers climb with their herds on the olive trees, trample, break and eat them
We went to Mufaqara. On the way, at the intersection of Route 60 and Route 317, soldiers, men and one woman, monitor the intersectio). We arrived at Fadel Hamamda. His wives, sons and their wives and children are in constant distress because of the insolence of new settlers who surround him from all sides.
We bought basic necessities. For almost a year, the people are neither able to go to work in Israel, nor are they allowed to graze their herds on their lands. The settlers also climb with their herds on the olive seedlings, trample, break and eat them and everything that sprouts which is mainly intended for food for the sheep. Fadel is desperate and angry as we have never seen him before. Tired of the confrontations with the thugs of the settlers who build huts and caravans around him and "suffocate" his family, according to him.
I photographed the new settlers across from the entrance to the settlement Avigayil on the hill above the A-Rakiz people who live mainly in caves. The settlers arrived a month ago and are building another residential building.
"I don't have money to buy feed for the sheep, it's impossible to take them out to pasture. I've already sold 50 of the 80 sheep he had because of this situation," says Fadel.
The boys show videos of their confrontations with three settlers. The settlers came and went up with their sheep on their territory. He adds: "A week ago, a settler came with his sheep and stepped on the plot of young olive trees. The army stands by and does nothing, except comply with the demands of the settlers to stop them. This time they just threatened and left."
Fadel says and asks for volunteers to come sleep with him and is angry that there is no fair distribution of the volunteers among everyone. When I asked what Nasser and Bassel, who are active on the issue, answered him, he said that they only care about themselves in Susiya and A-Tuwani.
He says that his hearing is deteriorating and he needs hearing aids.
He has no money and asks us to help with the matter. I listened; I didn't promise of course. I referred to the Villages Group that are connected to the Doctors for Human Rights and they helped him a lot when he had a granddaughter who needed special treatments and devices because of severe problems with her respiratory system. I don't think we can raise such amounts. He also had complaints about Adv. Kamar Meisharki and Adv. Neta Amar who promise to come to him and never do. I explained to him that I met them very busy in Zanuta, Susiya and Lusifer with the Abu Kbeita family. This whole area is crying out to hasten legal methods.
As a person in distress, he finds it difficult to understand and accept this and is mainly concerned with the feeling of discrimination and deprivation among them. I listened only, as you can understand the complexity of the situation. "We are under siege, we need help against the settlers, the situation is getting worse, in the end we will leave here." he says, exhausted and angry. When the police are called, the police say they have no authority to do anything against the army and the army guards the settlers, the settlers who have been inducted into the army, to be more precise. Tells about the video where you see the settlers wanting to take his son’s identity card from him. And he is angry and asks: "Why can the Palestinians not be allowed to roam freely on their land and in their homes?" In the end, they let his son go and left without delay and without taking anything, but these acts of attrition bring them to the brink of despair.
There is not much we can do.
If there is someone who has connections with these lawyers, maybe we can apply for them as well. "They are not responding to my request," he repeats.