On 31 October 2023, about 40 settlers and soldiers returned and told ‘Abd al-Qader ‘Amer’s family to leave within two days, threatening to forcibly remove them if they did not. The family took down its residential structures and livestock enclosures that same day and moved to a site located four kilometers away for now.
‘Abd al-Qader ‘Amer, 70, a father of six from Bariyet Hizma, recounted in a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher ‘Amer ‘Aruri on 1 Nov. 2023 how he and his family had to leave home under military and settler orders:
I was born and raised in Bariyet Hizma, north of Jerusalem. I’m 70 years old and, like my father and grandfather, may they rest in peace, have been a farmer and shepherd all my life. My family owns 200 dunams here, and we have seven water wells. Ten years ago, a settlement outpost was built next to us and 50 dunams of our land were expropriated.
On 7 October 2023, settlers and soldiers came to us and to our neighbors, the family of Abu Salim Mleihat, and demanded we leave our homes. Abu Salim started taking down their tents the next day, and on 9 October he and his family left.
On 8 October, a settler came to us with soldiers and told me that there were Jews in the settlement nearby who lost family members in the [Hamas attack] on the Gaza border, so we had better leave before they attacked us. I refused, because I have 300 sheep that I have nowhere to take. Here I have wells and lots of pastureland. In Hizma, you can’t raise sheep among the people, and I don't want to sell the flock.
Yesterday, 31 October, about 40 soldiers and settlers came and said we had until Thursday, 2 November, to evacuate, otherwise they would forcibly remove us. I decided we would move to a point four kilometers from our current location, which would be seven kilometers from the settlement. I hope the military and settlers will leave us alone then. We’ll have to dismantle and move four sheep pens that are 200 meters large together, as well as our house, which is made of wooden beams and nylon sheets.
I'm 70 years old and believe me, this is the second time in my adult life that I've cried. The first time was when my father, may he rest in peace, passed away. The second time was when the settlers came with the military and ordered me to leave my home.