Palestinians flee due to fear of settler violence in West Bank village

Residents of Ein Samia are leaving due to fear of settler violence; violent outbreak near Homesh; US raises concerns.

A community of some 200 Palestinians living in tents and temporary structures in the West Bank village of Ein Samia have decided to leave their home due to ongoing Israeli settler violence.

Two of the residents of the village, which has existed since the 1980s, said that the problems began about five years ago, but worsened over the past year. Ein Samia is located near the Israeli settlement of Kochav Hashahar and the Habladim outpost, which is regarded as a centre of violence in the West Bank.

The B'Tselem nonprofit organisation has documented several settler attacks in the area of the village over the years, including one in which a Palestinian was attacked with a bat and another involving spike strips being placed on the road leading to the village.

“We decided to leave out of fear of the settlers,” Khader, a father of nine, told Haaretz. “I left for my children. My youngest said to me, ‘I don’t want to live here – the settlers come and throw stones. Tomorrow, they could kill me.’”

This week there was an outbreak of violence near Homesh, a West Bank settlement which has been at the centre of a debate about settlement expansion.

Several Palestinians and an Israeli settler were hurt on Wednesday during clashes which erupted after European officials toured the area.

According to the Yesh Din rights group, several extremist settlers attacked Palestinians in the village of Burqa and set fire to homes. Video from Burqa showed residents trying to extinguish the blazes.