Two weeks ago NIFC project partner, Breaking the Silence shared extensively a video documentary of a terrifying attack by Jewish extremists on Palestinian farmers in the South Hebron Hills. In the clip, filmed by Yuval Abraham, settlers are seen throwing rocks at the Palestinian farmers, burning their fields and brandishing a metal rod, which they used to beat one of the Palestinian farmers, a man named Fuad.
In the video, two armed soldiers stand by and simply watch these settlers. They both fail to intervene and protect the attacking settlers. When a activist called the police to report the violence he was asked — in a mocking tone — what he was doing there anyway and told to leave immediately or face arrest. When the police did turn up, they, too, took no action.
That same day, the settlers, who routinely attack these Palestinian farmers, uprooted trees and burned down a Palestinian agricultural building.
Regular settler attacks are part of systematic government policy to try to expropriate the land from Palestinian farmers on behalf of Jewish shepherds. NIFC will continue to fund the integral work of partners like Breaking the Silence who ceaselessly document and bring to light human rights abuses in the occupied territories.