In an effort to stop the forcible displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Washington and London have launched penalties on three more Israeli settlers and, for the first time, two farming outposts.
In an effort to stop the forcible displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Washington and London have launched penalties on three more Israeli settlers and, for the first time, two farming outposts.
Palestinian sheep farmer Fares Samamreh is caught up in a dispute with Israeli settler Yinon Levy, his neighbor, on the sun-drenched hills of the South Hebron region of the occupied West Bank. Samamreh has attracted backing from a world powerhouse even though he is without guns. But his battle goes on unabated.
Three years ago, when hostilities in Gaza first started, Levy began to intrude more and more into Samamreh's life. Armed with guns and dogs, Levy and other settlers routinely harassed Samamreh's sheep and family; in some cases, they even physically attacked them. This constant strainLevy counters that having Jews in the area keeps Arabs out and defends his acts as preserving Jewish ownership of the property. Levy sticks to his guns in spite of international condemnation of Israeli settlements, helped along by some Israeli officials who write off accusations against people like Levy as conspiracies and see settler violence as minor.
Washington and London have imposed sanctions on three more Israeli settlers and, for the first time, two farming outposts in an attempt to halt the forceful displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
On the sun-drenched hills of the South Hebron area of the occupied West Bank, Palestinian sheep farmer Fares Samamreh becomes embroiled in a conflict with his neighbor, Israeli settler Yinon Levy. Samamreh is without weapons, yet he has drawn support from a global giant. His struggle, though, continues unabated.
Levy started meddling more and more in Samamreh's life three years ago, when hostilities in Gaza first broke out. With firearms and dogs in hand, Levy and the other immigrants frequently harassed Samamreh's sheep and family, occasionally even attacking them violently. Levy responds to this ongoing tension by arguing that having Jews in the neighborhood keeps Arabs out and by defending his actions as maintaining Jewish ownership of the land. Helped along by certain Israeli officials who dismiss charges against individuals like Levy as conspiracies and view settler violence as insignificant, Levy continues to his guns in spite of international condemnation of Israeli settlements.
The imposition of fines, while symbolic, draws attention to complaints from other nations and expresses the concerns of Democratic supporters of President Obama. Still, they largely affect people's bank accounts and may jeopardize finances for settlement projects.
jordan had Samamreh and his family from their village of Zanuta and join the growing number of Palestinians who had been uprooted in the area.
Levy denies the accusations of violence and claims official backing, but the US and the UK have imposed sanctions on him and his colleague. According to UK accusations, physical violence, threats delivered at gunpoint, and property destruction are forcing Palestinian people to move.
Stuart Phillips
Stuart Phillips