Armed settlers invade community and threaten families under pretext of seeking stolen item, Wadi Ejheish, South Hebron Hills, 12 Feb. 2021

On Friday afternoon, 12 February 2021, four settlers came to the community of Wadi Ejheish. They parked and got out of their car. One was bearing a rifle and the other a taser baton, and they had a large dog with them. The armed settler threatened to shoot anyone who came near and released the dog. He declared that people riding in a resident’s car had stolen something from his car. The settlers searched the car in question and when they did not find the allegedly stolen item, left the area.

The next day, several community residents went to the police station in Kiryat Arba to file a complaint. After the officers did not allow them in and ordered them to wait outside for about two hours, they returned home. The following day, the residents again went to the station, and this time the officers allowed them to file a complaint.

In a testimony he gave B’Tselem researcher Musa Abu Hashhash, Raed Rawashdeh (39), a community resident and father of six, recounted what happened that day:

I was at home when I suddenly heard shouting in Arabic and in Hebrew. I went outside to see what was going on and saw four settlers standing around one of the cars. They were arguing with relatives of mine. One of the settlers accused them of stealing something from him while riding in that car.

The settler said he wouldn’t leave until he found what they’d stolen. He waved his weapon in our faces and threatened to shoot, even though there were women and children standing around us. Another settler, who was holding a taser baton, waved it at the kids when they tried to come near. The settlers searched my relative’s car and didn’t find anything. They left after a heated argument that lasted about an hour.

The community of Wadi Ejheish lies southeast of the town of a-Samu’, and the settlement of Susiya was established about two kilometers east of it.