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`Night guards` aim to deter settler attacks in West Bank
Ahmad Melhem
Al-Monitor
17.8.2015


http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/west-bank-israel-settlers-attack-popular-committees.html?utm_source=Al-Monitor+Newsletter+%5BEnglish%5D&utm_campaign=182f835779-August_18_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_28264b27a0-182f835779-93116505


RAMALLAH, West Bank — Alarm bells sound in Palestinian villages attacked by settlers after members of the Dawabsha family were burned alive in Douma, southeast of Nablus in the north of the West Bank July 31. The incident claimed the lives of Saad Dawabsha and his toddler son Ali.


This crime prompted Palestinians in some villages to form night guard committees to watch the villages and protect them against settler attacks, especially during the late night hours until dawn.

The guard committees emerged during the first intifada. Formed of young volunteers, most of whom cover their faces to protect themselves, they are deployed at the village entrances to watch for settlers.

In the village of Qusra, southeast of Nablus, the guard committees have been active for five years. These teams have become known as the most successful model in the West Bank, especially after they detained 18 settlers who had entered the village and attacked farmers on Jan. 7, 2014. The villagers beat up the settlers, who were later released after Israeli military intervention.

The head of the Qusra village council, Abdel Azim Wadi, told Al-Monitor, “Guard committees have been active in Qusra since 2011 to protect the properties of citizens from settler attacks, which have reached 65 since Oct. 28, 2010.”

He added, “The village youths head daily to a watch point in the southern part of the village, which is close to Esh Kodesh settlement, whose settlers attack the village. The inhabitants of the village are also in direct contact with the guards and report any move made by the settlers.”

Wadi noted, “The youths rely on mobile phones to inform the inhabitants to be alert and ready to confront in case the settlers infiltrate the village. They call on the inhabitants through the loudspeakers in mosques. They are equipped with spotlights to watch the roads and with some primitive fighting tools like sticks.”

“After the Jan. 7, 2014, incident, the villagers’ fear barrier was broken, and they realized that they can protect their village. Meanwhile, the occupation army had been colluding with settlers and dismissed 34 complaints issued against them, and the Palestinian security apparatus could not be present in Area C, which is under the Israelis’ complete control,” Wadi added.

Al-Monitor learned from officials in the village councils that the Qusra incident and the arson that claimed two lives in the Dawabsha family prompted the factions and village councils in Nablus governorate to hold negotiations on Aug. 12 to widen the reach of the guard committees to the threatened villages.

Nablus governor Akram al-Rajoub told Al-Monitor, “The security situation of the Palestinian villages adjacent to the settlements was discussed, and we examined the possibility of forming night guard committees to confront the settlers.”

He noted, “Some guard committees will work in an organized manner … in the coming stage. They will boost the security in villages because it is not acceptable for the settlers to keep catching us off guard, infiltrating our villages and burning down houses with people sleeping inside.”

Asked whether the unarmed citizens will be able to face armed settlers, Rajoub said, “The settlers do not engage in direct confrontations with the inhabitants. They are like bats. They creep up in the night to commit massacres against the inhabitants and burn them while they sleep.” He added, “The guard committees will resemble those in Qusra. The available resources, people and capacities will be used.”

Abdullah Abu Rahme, the coordinator of the Bilin Popular Committee, told Al-Monitor, “The factions, Nablus governorate and local councils have decided to activate the night guard committees in 25 villages suffering from settler attacks in the governorate. The situation of the villages in the West Bank’s governorates will be examined and similar guard committees will be formed [elsewhere].”

“Settler attacks have escalated lately, and they must be deterred. In Douma, there weren’t any real guard committees, and as a result, the heinous crime occurred. It is high time we activated the role of these committees,” Abu Rahme added.

On Aug. 10, the Jenin governorate formed four guard committees, while other villages, mainly in Qalqilya governorate, decided to form committees independently of the others.

Some villages have recently managed to foil attacks such as preventing the abduction of a boy Aug. 7 by settlers in the Aida camp, north of Bethlehem, and putting out a fire at the house of a citizen from the al-Kaabana tribe near Douma and Tayibe. The inhabitants confronted the settlers and managed to douse the fire that broke out after the settlers threw Molotov cocktails on Aug. 8.

The inhabitants also succeeded in foiling the settlers’ attack on a family of eight in Karyout, south of Nablus, on Aug. 11. The settlers detained them on the outskirts of the town, but the guard committees and others soon heard the family’s cries and rushed to the rescue.

Head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission Walid Assaf told Al-Monitor, “The occupation army supports the settlers and provides cover for them to attack us. Therefore, we have the right to defend ourselves by forming protection committees. This is a serious national project that will persist until the end.”

He went on, “The situation does not require weapons or swords. It is enough for the inhabitants to cooperate, unite and be on guard to defend their villages. This will scare off the settlers and prevent them from infiltrating the villages, especially if early warning stations are set up.”

Assaf asserted, “Forming the protection committees is not an altruistic donation, but rather a serious national project that will expand in dozens of villages.”

Palestinians hope that these committees will contribute to deterring settler attacks, which have exceeded 11,000 since 2004 in the West Bank.


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