Khirbet Abu Falah, Ramallah District: Hundreds of settlers attacked the village, damaging property. Soldiers who arrived fired at the defending residents

On Friday, 12 April 2024, searches were underway for Binyamin Ahimeir, an Israeli teen from the settlement outpost of Malachey Hashalom who was killed by a Palestinian and whose body was found the next day. Around 7:00 A.M. hundreds of settlers gathered on Allon Road (Route 458), about two kilometers northeast of the village of al-Mughayir and six kilometers northeast of the village of Khirbet Abu Falah. Seven to 10 jeeps with soldiers and Border Police officers also participated in the search, and two military helicopters and four drones circled in the air.   

Around noon, dozens of settlers entered al-Mughayir escorted by Israeli forces and attacked homes and residents. During the attack, settlers shot and killed a young man who was defending a house.

Around 4:30 P.M., hundreds of settlers advanced on the road leading from al-Mughayir to Khirbet Abu Falah and attacked 44-year-old Damen Shuman’s car. The settlers smashed the car windows, then pepper sprayed Shuman and dragged him out of the car. They proceeded to hit him with clubs and pipes, wounding him in the head, left leg, shoulder, and back, and then abandoned him there. Injured, Shuman managed to walk until he reached some local residents who took him to an ambulance, which took him to the hospital.

Image

The settlers then advanced into the village of Khirbet Abu Falah. Residents came out to defend their homes and clashes ensued, including mutual stone-throwing and shoving. Five village residents were injured by stones.

After about 30 minutes, soldiers arrived in three military jeeps, at which point the settlers retreated, setting fire to three tents used for agricultural purposes and 11 cars on their way, and smashing the windows of two other cars. As soon as they arrived, the soldiers fired tear gas canisters, live rounds and rubber-coated metal bullets at the residents, who threw stones at them. A local resident, Hamzah Abu Murah (22), was injured in the leg by a rubber-coated metal bullet during the clashes, which lasted until 7:30 P.M.

The soldiers left at around 7:30 P.M., but about an hour later, uniformed soldiers appeared on the road between al-Mughayir and Khirbet Abu Falah in three cars bearing Palestinian license plates. The soldiers attacked a Palestinian car with three passengers, confiscating their phones, and smashing the car’s windows. Then, as they drove away, they came across another Palestinian car and attacked its passengers as well. One of the victims lost consciousness and was taken by the passengers of another car for treatment at a hospital in Ramallah after the forces left the scene.

B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad collected testimonies from two of the victims on 24 April 2024.

Damen Shuman, a 44-year-old father of five from Khirbet Abu Falah, said in his testimony:

Image

On Friday, 12 April 2024, at 4:30 P.M., I drove to the neighboring village of al-Mughayir to help the residents fend off settlers who were attacking people and homes since the morning.

When I reached the al-Mashad intersection, there were several Palestinian vehicles ahead of me. I saw they were turning around to go back. When I asked what was happening, I was told that the settlers were close and people were trying to escape the area in their cars, but some were so scared that they left their cars and fled on foot to a nearby hill or towards the village. The road was blocked by abandoned cars, causing a traffic jam, and I couldn’t drive away.

Suddenly, my car was surrounded by about 20 settlers. I was still inside it. They were masked – with shirts over their faces – and they were carrying clubs, pipes, axes and other sharp tools. I don’t know if they also had guns.

They started attacking my car with stones and breaking it right above my head. I hid under the dashboard when large stones landed inside the car. Some of them hit me.

After they smashed the car, they started attacking me directly. I felt like my body was being pounded with stones and sharp objects. One of the objects stabbed me in the left leg, which was sticking out while I was hiding under the dashboard.

Later, I realized it was probably an axe blow, judging by the cut. I also got a very strong blow to the head, which made me dizzy. I’m not sure how long the beating lasted. I screamed and called for help, but no one came.

When they finally left, I collapsed. I couldn’t move or get out of the car. I could hear screaming and clashes between the settlers and the residents of the village outside.

The settlers came back five minutes later, and two of them pulled me over and pepper sprayed me in the face. It burned so badly, I can’t even describe it. I screamed and moaned and begged. I started telling them, “I have American citizenship, American citizenship,” even though it’s not true, but I hoped maybe that would make them leave me alone. But it didn’t help.

They pulled me out of the car, and then one of them threw a large stone at me and they started kicking me while I was covering my head with my hands and screaming “American citizen! American citizen!”. After a few minutes, one of them said something to me in Hebrew, which I understand a little: “Go, go home!” I told him: “I can’t.” I need an ambulance. Help me,” but they left me and took off.

I don’t know where I got the strength, but I managed to get out of there. I walked a little and fell, then crawled a little and then got up and walked again, all the time shouting for help. I went about 150 meters like that, and then some guys noticed me and took me to the medical center in our village, where they gave me first aid and took me to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.

I had tests and X-rays done. There were no fractures, but I had cuts that were deep and long. I had wounds on my head and leg, smaller wounds on my right shoulder and back, and all kinds of bruises.

I was treated and discharged for care at home. It’s been ten days, and I’m still in pain and the wounds haven’t completely healed. I work in Jericho, in school sanitation, and I haven’t gone back to work yet.

The day after the attack, I went to pick up my car and discovered it had been set on fire. Part of the back seat melted and there was charring.

‘Imad Shuman, a 34-year-old father of one from Khirbet Abu Falah, said in his testimony:

Image

Around 9:30 P.M., I drove my car to visit my cousins at their farm on the western side of the village. When I got there, I parked the car and got out, and then I realized I’d forgotten my phone inside, so I turned around to go back. As soon as I turned around, shots were fired at me. A single shot at first, and then a volley.

I fled through the fields towards the wadi, leaving the car with the key inside, as well as 5,150 shekels (~ USD 1,440) in cash that a client had paid me for carpentry work, along with my phone and my wallet with all my papers inside: my Palestinian passport, credit cards, ID card and driver’s license.

At first, I thought they were settlers. I ran until I was about a kilometer and a half away. No one chased me. I hid in the fields for 15-20 minutes, and when I felt it was safe to come out, I walked back along the road towards my car. On the way, I passed by a village home. I heard a drone above me the whole time, but I couldn’t see it because it was dark. I kept walking, and then the owner of the house I passed, Dr. ‘Aref Nazal, drove by me on his way home from work.

He said he’d give me a ride to my car. I got in and we only managed to drive a few dozen meters before suddenly, three large civilian pickup trucks with Palestinian license plates blocked us and 20 men in military uniforms, armed and masked, got out of them. They looked like special forces. They attacked us while we were sitting in the car.

First, they smashed the car windows. Then, one of them picked up a very large stone, bigger than a pomelo-grapefruit, and smashed the rear window with it. Then, they smashed the other car windows with the butts of their handguns and rifles.

They tried to pull ‘Aref out of the driver’s seat through the window, but they couldn’t because he weighs more than 100 kilos. They pulled me out the window and dragged me behind the car, along the ground. There, they kicked me brutally all over my body, including my groin and testicles.

While they were beating me, I noticed ID badges on their shirts, which had Hebrew writing and a Star of David symbol on them. One of them hit me in the head and face with the butt of a handgun, like you’d hit a hammer. Strong, repetitive blows – “Bang! Bang! Bang!” until I felt the world spinning around me. I don’t know what happened next. I woke up in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, near al-Huda station at the northern entrance to al-Birah.

It brought me to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, where I had tests and X-rays done. It turned out I had a dislocated shoulder. I also had lots of large and small cuts on my head and face, and my left eye was very red. I stayed in the hospital until 6:00 A.M. and then discharged myself against medical advice. The doctors wanted to admit me for observation. I preferred to continue treatment at home.

Guys from the village told me they’d seen the attack from a distance and wanted to come over and help us, but the forces fired at them and forced them to turn back. They waited until the forces left, 15 minutes, and then they came over and found me by an agricultural terrace nearby. Dr. ‘Aref was also injured and had bruises and wounds, but less serious than mine.

When I got back to my car, my personal belongings, the money and documents I’d left there, were gone. Relatives and friends searched the area and found the car keys, phone and documents in nearby fields. The money was stolen. I suspect it was that force that stole it, but I have no way to prove it.

Now I’m at home, unable to work. I’m a carpenter and my shoulder injury has put me out of commission. I don’t know how long I will be off work. The doctors said it would take several months for the injured shoulder to fully heal.