On Saturday, 9 September 2023, at around 5:00 P.M., while Ahmad Abu Muhsen (32) and his son Muhammad (13) were grazing their flock east of the community of Khallet Kharde in al-Farisiyah, accompanied by Israeli activists, two masked settlers arrived and tried to steal about 20 goats. When the shepherds and activists tried to get the settlers away from the flock, 10 more masked settlers appeared, approached them and one of them hit Ahmad Abu Muhsen with a steel pipe on the left arm, breaking it.
The activists called an Israeli ambulance and the police, and when the police arrived, the settlers left. The ambulance took Abu Muhsen to the settlement of Mehola, and from there, he was taken in a Palestinian ambulance to a hospital in Tubas, where his arm was put in a cast and he was discharged.
In a testimony he gave B'Tselem field researcher ‘Aref Daraghmeh on 9 September 2023, Abu Muhsen, a father of six, said:
I’ve lived in the Bedouin village of al-Farisiyah for years, and in the summer I move east, to the area west of ‘Ein a-Sakut, to graze the flock, but the settlers surround the whole area over there and chase the flock, so every morning I debate where to go.
On Saturday, 9 September 2023, at around 5:00 P.M., I went with my son Muhammad (13), and some Israeli activists to graze the flock southwest of our house in Khallet Khader, al-Farisiyah. My son walked away with the flock, and then two settlers came and led about 20 goats away from the flock. My son started shouting, and we went towards him to get the goats back, and then we saw about 10 more masked settlers. They came towards me, and I told my son to run. One of the settlers hit me on the left arm with a steel pipe. I yelled and he backed off. The activists got into a verbal confrontation with the settlers, and they filmed each other. The activists called the police and an Israeli ambulance, and then the settlers began to disperse. When the police arrived, after about 15 minutes, all the settlers left, and the goats were returned.
The police came along with an ambulance, and the crew treated me and then took me to the settlement of Mehola. From there, I was transferred in a Palestinian ambulance to a hospital in Tubas. It turned out my arm was broken and it was put in a cast. I was discharged after two hours.
The settlers attacked me with brutality. Now I don't know what to do or where to go. They chase me every time I graze the flock, come to my house with their faces masked and threaten me not to go out the pasture, even though these are Palestinian owned lands. They want to take over them. And now my hand is broken and I don't know who will graze the flock. The settlers are vicious and the police and the army do nothing and always claim we are grazing on the settlers’ lands. How can that be? These are our lands and our pasturelands, where we’ve been grazing our flocks for many years. They cover their faces because they’re afraid of being sued. A week ago, they attacked my cousin, Muhib, in ‘Ein Hilweh. They take every opportunity to attack the shepherds and work together with the police and the army to kick us out.
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