Violence against settlers in the West Bank: The burned Duma is a reminder of the vulnerability of the Palestinians

DUMA, West Bank (AP) — Charred houses and cars in this mountain village surrounded by olive groves are a stark reminder of the danger facing Palestinians from increasing violence from Israeli settlers.

The trail of rubble along Douma’s main street is the result of a three-hour attack in mid-April in which 15 houses were damaged by arson and six residents were wounded by bullets, the village council chairman said. It was one of nearly 800 settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since then Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, according to the United Nations

The burned remains in Douma also highlight the village’s limited resources for cleanup and reconstruction, not to mention defense against future incursions that appear inevitable as armed settlers patrol the area about 30 kilometers north of Jerusalem.

“We as the village of Duma … do not have the power to defend ourselves,” said Suleiman Dawabsha, chairman of the village council of this community of more than 2,000 residents. He estimated the attack caused five million shekels ($1.3 million) in damage.

The April 13 shooting rampage reflected a similar event almost a decade ago. In 2015, three Palestinians from Douma were killed, including an 18-month-old baby, after settlers set fire to a house there. An Israeli was later convicted of murder.

The latest attack against Douma was part of a wave of settler violence sparked by the death of a 14-year-old Israeli who went missing on the morning of April 12. The next day, authorities found his body and arrested a man from Douma who they say is linked to the boy’s alleged murder.

On April 15, two days after the attack in Douma, two Palestinians were shot dead by settlers near the city of Aqraba, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. And in a similar bout of violence on April 12, a man was killed by Israeli fire in nearby al-Mughayyir, although it remains unclear whether the fatal bullet was fired by a soldier or a settler.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there have been 794 settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7 – from throwing stones at passing cars to shooting at residents. At least ten Palestinians were killed in these attacks by settlers, it said.

Attacks by settlers are not the only form of violence on the rise in the West Bank.

According to the Ramallah-based Health Ministry, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the area since the war in Gaza began. The vast majority were shot by soldiers. Palestinians in the West Bank have killed nine Israelis, including five soldiers, since October 7, according to the UN.

The war has undoubtedly increased tensions between settlers and Palestinians. But Israeli human rights groups accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government of fueling violence among settlers by promoting it an ideology of total Israeli domination in the West Bank.

These groups say the Israeli army is not doing enough to stop the violence and, in some cases, is even encouraging it by offering protection to settlers. The Israeli army said in a statement it was trying to protect everyone living in the West Bank and that complaints about soldiers were being investigated.

No one was killed in the attack on Douma, but residents reported narrowly escaping.

Ibrahim Dawabsha, a truck driver and father of four, said most of his family hid in the kitchen as settlers fired firebombs and set part of their house on fire.

“My daughter was at her uncle’s house, there was no one there,” he said. “I don’t know what they could do to her.”

The leaders of Douma and al-Mughayyir said Israeli troops arrived shortly after attacks on their communities began but did little to intervene. Instead, they fired on Palestinians who tried to oppose the settlers, these officials said.

A prominent Israeli human rights group, Yesh Din, described it as an “umbrella of security” – a collaboration it said has become increasingly common since Israel’s right-wing coalition government came to power in late 2022.

“As soon as the Palestinians try to protect themselves, they are attacked by the army,” said Ziv Stahl, director of Yesh Din.

The United States has increased pressure on Israel to curb settler attacks in the West Bank. Sanctioning some leadersincluding a close ally of Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Dawabsha, the head of the Duma, does not believe the pressure campaign will have any effect. “I don’t pin my hopes on the American government,” he said.

Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war, areas that the Palestinians want as part of a future state. Settlers claim the West Bank, home to about 3 million Palestinians, is their biblical birthright.

Around 500,000 Israeli settlers live in hundreds of settlements and outposts in the West Bank. These separate and heavily guarded communities vary in size and type. Larger settlements resemble the sprawling suburbs of Jerusalem, while smaller, unauthorized outposts may consist of just a few caravans parked on a hill.

Outposts often receive tacit government support and are sometimes officially recognized and financially supported by the Israeli government.

Due to its geographical location, Douma is particularly vulnerable to attacks.

The village, overlooking Jordanian and Israeli settlements to the east, is more closely surrounded by at least three outposts that have been gradually expanded over the past decade, according to the council leader. Douma lies in a part of the West Bank known as Zone B: civil affairs are handled by the Palestinian Authority, but security is the responsibility of the Israeli military.

Palestinians largely view the Palestinian Authority as ineffective and corrupt, and it rarely opposes Israel’s military operations in the area.

According to local residents, over the past year settlers have cut off Duma’s access to four vital springs and wells surrounding the village by sabotaging roads and other infrastructure.

In the days following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, more than 100 Arab Bedouins living a nomadic lifestyle in the pastures south of Douma moved to the outskirts in search of greater security and resources.

One of them, Ali Zawahiri, said his extended family moved after settlers began burning their tents and stealing their livestock, apparently in revenge. According to Yesh Din, the Arab Bedouins living near Douma are one of 16 such West Bank communities that have been relocated due to settler violence or threats since early 2023.

“He’s armed with a gun and I’m just a person with nothing,” Zawahiri said.

An armed Palestinian Authority unit that used to patrol nights around West Bank towns suspended its operations soon after the Gaza war broke out when members of the force were kidnapped by settlers.

When asked how they could better defend themselves in the future, the residents of Douma found it difficult to answer.

“What preparations?” said Ibrahim Dawabsha, whose truck – his main source of income – burned to ashes. “There are no preparations.”

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Associated Press video journalist Imad Isseid contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show that about 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank. An earlier version said there were 2,000.

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