A group of Israeli settlers burned cars and destroyed a garage in riots in the Arab village Umm Safah near Ramallah on Monday, Israeli media reported Tuesday.
Ynet reported that three rioters had burned a total of five cars in the West Bank Arab village at a garage and store.
הרכבים שהוצתו על ידי נערי גבעות הלילה בכפר אום ספא מצפון לרמאללה pic.twitter.com/1rG0oNcpT5
— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) March 11, 2025
The garage owner told Ynet that settlers regularly come to the area and “harass” him to get him to leave his home.
“The settlers harass me a lot. Shepherds come here to cause problems, burn vehicles, and once even stole a car. The settlers do everything they can to make me leave so they can take control of my land. Only if I die here will I leave,” he said.
“This is my land, 15 dunams, and even if I die here, I will not leave it,” he asserted.
דיווח פלסטיני: פורעים יהודים הציתו מספר רכבים בכניסה לכפר אום ספא, מצפון מערב לרמאללה | תיעוד@migansh5 pic.twitter.com/gjIu6rRfba
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 11, 2025
Unverified Arab reports said that the controversial settler group the Hilltop Youth burned the cars in Umm Safah.
Other attacks in the West Bank
The attack came on the same day that another group of Israelis attacked in Massafar Yatta, the focus of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.
Residents of the village told Ynet that the settlers attacked locals and “smashed the contents of homes” overnight on Tuesday.
Osama Mahamra, a local Palestinian activist, said that residents were pepper sprayed and beaten.
“The army arrested one resident after beating him,” he told Ynet. “The settlers also destroyed the contents of several homes and punctured the tires of peace activists’ vehicles that were present at the scene.”
The Israeli media outlet had previously reported that the Defense Ministry will appoint someone to be directly responsible for settler violence, including Hilltop Youth. The government reportedly hopes that this will steer young people in the West Bank away from violence. Ynet reported that the person will hopefully be a prominent figure in the Jewish community in the West Bank.
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