Date: 27 July 2010
Ref.: 170/2010


As a Palestinian organisation committed to the promotion and protection of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Al-Haq is deeply concerned by the violent attacks carried out by settlers in the area of Huwwara and Burin, Nablus Governorate, on 26 July 2010.

In the early hours of the morning, in a provocative act, more than 70 Israeli settlers visited  Joseph’s tomb in Nablus. As a result, confrontations erupted with the local inhabitants.  On their way out of the city, the settlers set ablaze a plot of  olive trees near the village of Huwwara.  At about 8:00 am, the mob of settlers entered the village of Burin and used Molotov cocktails to set fire to orchards and olive groves.  Clashes between settlers and Palestinians ensued, resulting in the injury of, amongst others,  a Palestinian child who was later hospitalised.  One settler was reported to have been firing a gun.

Despite several calls by the Burin municipality, the Israeli army took until approximately 11.00 am to reach the area. By that time, the settlers were already leaving the centre of the village.  On their way back to the settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha, the settlers set fire to seven other areas around the village of Burin. Palestinian fire brigades were prevented access to the area by  large numbers of settlers who had blocked roads and some 11 intersections in the area. The violence finally subsided at around 10:00 pm, leaving in its wake injured people and  burning fields. Approximately 2,000 Dunums of agricultural land, which represents a major source of livelihood for Palestinians, had been set on fire by the settlers.

Yesterday’s incidents are part of a prolonged pattern of harassment and violence that settler groups have been perpetrating against Palestinians and their property throughout the OPT since the start of the Israeli occupation. These violations, which reach their peak during olive harvests, are the result of a persistent failure of the Israeli military and judicial authorities, respectively, to prevent violence and punish the perpetrators.

As the Occupying Power, Israel has a duty under customary international law to ensure public order and safety in the occupied territory while protecting the fundamental rights of the occupied population. Despite these obligations, the Israeli occupying forces operating in the OPT provide protection to settlers who attack Palestinian civilians, instead of preventing violations and protecting the occupied population. In addition, settlers committing violations in the OPT benefit from the legal protection of ordinary Israeli law, while Palestinians are subject to the harsher provisions of the Israeli military regulations applying in the OPT.

In failing to uphold its legal obligations, Israel has effectively encouraged settler violence, which, combined with the unrelenting expansion of illegal settlements in the OPT,  severely infringes upon the human rights of the Palestinian population.

Should impunity for settlers continue, settler violence against Palestinians is bound to escalate and to endanger the lives of the occupied population  further in the future. Therefore, we call upon the international community of States to take immediate and concrete steps to pressure Israel to abide by its legal obligations towards the occupied population in the OPT, with a view to end the climate of impunity for violations committed against Palestinians and to restore their legitimate rights.

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