Abdul Kareem Jabari is 58 years old and has lived in his house for 20 years. When the first Israeli settlers arrived, there were no real problems. Then in 1974 the settlers took control of the public stairs in the area, which was difficult for the elderly Palestinians. When Abdul built a house for his family in 1976, settlers came and destroyed it. He then built the family’s current house in 1997 and was offered a blank cheque for his property. He refused it. Then the problems with the settlers really began. Settler children threw stones and cut the grape trees. After vandalizing the door and windows, the family placed a fence around the house. Each year during olive season, the settlers attack Abdul in the field, steal the crops or set them on fire. Twice, they have stolen the family’s ducks and sheep as soldiers prevented Abdul from intervening.
Of the seven sons and three daughters, all members of the family have been hospitalized from settler attacks. A settler stabbed the 10-year-old son in the stomach, which another one broke Abdul’s arm. The 19- year-old son’s hand was broken and he still suffers from the injury today. The 11-year-old son was seriously beaten by soldiers and settlers who caused injury to his eye, and the adult daughter was once knocked unconscious when a settler threw a stone at her, giving her a concussion. The ambulance arrived after two-and-a-half hours. The driver explained that he had reached the checkpoint in four minutes but had been detained by soldiers for the remaining time. Another time, soldiers pushed Abdul into a hole and tried to shoot him. The family took all the cases to court with no results. In 2006, settlers began shooting at them. In the first case, Abdul went to the police station to file a complaint. They arrested him and let the settler go. Abdul worries about being shot all the time. He has a son with dwarfism. “How can he move around?” Abdul asks. “There are problems every day. Come tomorrow and you will see.”