Hundreds of Israeli settlers descend on the village of a-Lubban a-Sharqiyah and stage a pogrom. Soldiers escorting them block village exit and entrance and fire at defending residents, 20 June 2023

On Tuesday, 20 June 2023, at around 6:00 P.M., after two Palestinians shot and killed four people and wounded four others at a gas station near the settlement of Eli, hundreds of settlers marched from the settlement towards the nearby Palestinian village of a-Lubban a-Sharqiyah. The settlers, who were escorted by dozens of soldiers, waved Israeli flags and shouted death to the Arabs. The soldiers blocked the entrances to the village using military jeeps and prevented residents from entering or exiting it.  

The soldiers attacked village residents who came out to block the settlers’ advance using live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters, wounding six residents. Three were hurt by live ammunition, and one was hit by a “rubber” bullet in the head. The wounded were taken to hospitals in Salfit and Ramallah.  

At around 10:00 P.M., the settlers entered the eastern neighborhood of the village, which is separated from it by Route 60. Soldiers prevented residents of other parts of the village from reaching the neighborhood and defending its residents, with the exception of a few young men who managed to get through.  

The settlers vandalized several houses in the neighborhood and tried to set fire to them while the occupants were still inside, but the occupants managed to put out the fires. The settlers torched cars parked near the homes and more than 50 trees. They also torched a gas station along with three cars that were parked in it and two cars whose owners abandoned them near the station and fled. The settlers also torched five cars parked in a repair shop next to the gas station and 36 cars in a scrap yard, as well as 15 olive trees the yard’s owner had planted. The settlers damaged a car wash as well. They also set fire to 13 dunams (1 dunam = 1,000 sq. meters) of barley fields owned by seven local families and cut down 58 olive and other fruit trees. 

B’Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb’i collected testimonies from village residents on 26 June 2023: 

Majed Daraghmeh (53), a father of eight and owner of a scrap yard located near the main road, Route 60, said: 

On 20 June 2023, at around 6:00 P.M., I was at home in the center of the village when I heard soldiers had blocked the main entrance to the village, leading to the center and west part of the village, and hundreds of settlers had arrived there. I heard an announcement from the mosque to go out to hold off the settlers and defend the homes and our village, so I went out with my sons. When we arrived at the entrance to the village, I saw lots of soldiers blocking the road with jeeps and lots of settlers with Israeli flags shouting death to the Arabs. The soldiers fired “rubber” bullets and tear gas canisters in our direction. 

It went on like this until about 10:00 P.M., and then the settlers went over to the eastern side of the village and started attacking shops and houses on the eastern side of Route 60. We tried to get there, but the soldiers who were blocking the road fired live rounds at us. Three locals were wounded from the live rounds, and another was hurt in the head by a “rubber” bullet. I could see, from a distance, there was a fire in my scrap yard. I didn’t know what to do - this is our livelihood - mine and my sons’, who work with me. It was very difficult to stand there and watch our livelihood go up in flames. We couldn’t do anything. The soldiers wouldn’t even let the firefighters get through. It went on like this until the settlers left at around 1:00 A.M. That whole time, we were trying to get to the homes that were being attacked - there are 30 houses in that neighborhood - and some of the young guys did manage to get there and help defend them, but we couldn’t make it. The whole area reeked of smoke. All 36 cars in our yard burnt down completely, and also five cars in the repair shop next to it, which belongs to Raja Daraghmeh. They also torched the gas station and cars of residents from the village who left them there and ran away. The settlers also burned 10 olive trees and five almond trees that I planted not long ago near the yard. My loss is huge. Now I just sit around, unable to do anything. Everything burned. 

Muhammad Yusef (37), a father of five from al-Jalazun R.C., manager of the gas station in a-Lubban a-Sharqiyah, said: 

On 20 June 2023, in the evening, when I was home, several residents from a-Lubban called me and said settlers were attacking the gas station and probably trying to set it on fire. I tried to talk to people who live near the station, but they all fled their homes when they heard about the settler attack. I was in touch with people in the village from about 11:00 P.M. to 2:30 A.M., and it was only then that I was told the settlers had left.  

I went to the gas station with the owner the next morning. It was in rough shape - shattered glass, two pumps destroyed, burnt equipment in the office: a DVR device, monitor, computer, printer, desk and chairs, cabinets, water cooler and more. The settlers also vandalized the refrigerator and merchandise in the grocery store at the station and threw some of it on the floor. They burned the electrical panel. We suffered damage in the amount of approximately NIS 200,000 (≈ USD 54,000). In the meantime, a week has gone by, and we haven’t been able to go back to work because the station effectively needs to be rebuilt. 

Muhammad ‘Awis (73), a father of one, from a-Lubban a-Sharqiyah, said: 

On Friday, 20 June 2023, at around 10:00 P.M., I was at home on the eastern side of a-Lubban a-Sharqiyah, with my wife and son, when we heard noises outside. I looked out the windows and saw that the gas station, which is about 100 meters away from our house, was on fire. I saw 10 to 15 settlers coming towards my house. They started throwing stones at the house. My wife was very scared, and my son started crying. They hid in one of the rooms. The settlers swore at us and shouted at us in Hebrew. We heard a window shatter in the house. It was a frightening sound, like an explosion. My wife kept yelling that they were going to burn the house down, and I tried to calm her down. After a few minutes, the settlers moved away, and then I saw from the window that they had set fire to trees near the house and that they were now attacking the neighbor’s house. Then they advanced southeast and burned cars in the gas station. 

The settlers stayed in the area until the early hours of the morning, and we couldn’t sleep that night. We’ve been afraid that they’d return ever since. My wife is really stressed. She won’t even go out to the garden and won’t let our son play outside. There are attacks in other villages every day now, and we don’t feel safe even inside our own homes.