A Palestinian family in the occupied West Bank was arrested and jailed after reporting attacks by Israeli settlers , in a case that highlights continuing impunity for extremist Israeli settlers.
The incident took place in the village of Jiljiliya, where the Mizham family say they have faced months of harassment, land incursions and attacks by settlers. Despite repeatedly contacting police, the family told Haaretz that their complaints have led to little action, and, in some cases, to their own arrest.
Yusuf Mizham said settlers had entered his land, destroyed property and threatened his family, with footage showing "groups of armed, masked men descending on the Palestinians’ fields", according to Haaretz .
When the family reported one such incident in March, Israeli forces arrested Yusuf and his two sons instead.
The boys, aged 13 and 14, were later convicted in a military court after a plea deal and sentenced to seven days in prison and fined 2,000 shekels each for "throwing stones together at a shepherd from a distance of seven meters".
Yusuf said he was detained, beaten and questioned after being taken to a military checkpoint. He told Haaretz that soldiers "extinguished cigarettes on his wrist", leaving visible scars. His mobile phone, which contained video evidence of settler activity, was also destroyed.
The arrests came after settlers filed their own complaint against the family, despite having entered land in areas where Israelis are officially prohibited. An Israeli military order cited by Haaretz states that "no Israeli shall enter or be present" in certain areas, but residents say such rules are routinely ignored.
Earlier, a relative of the family, Hussein Asfour, was arrested after warning on social media: "If you do not protect us, we’ll have to protect ourselves." He was detained on suspicion of issuing threats. Haaretz described a broader pattern of violence and land seizures in the area. Since 7 October , around 11,000 dunams of land have been taken over by settlers in nearby villages, according to B’Tselem researcher Muhammad Rumana.
Multiple families have been forced to leave due to ongoing intimidation.
Residents say Israeli authorities often fail to respond to settler attacks. In one incident, police arrived two hours after settlers approached a family home and advised the victims to file a complaint. The suspect was detained and released the same day.
In a statement to Haaretz , the Israeli military said its forces had acted following reports of stone-throwing and that the incident was under investigation. It added that it "condemns and takes seriously any act of violence".
However, as one Palestinian farmer told Haaretz : "If I were to allow my flock to graze in the vineyards of Shiloh, I would be arrested instantly", indicating that Israel engages in discriminatory and unequal enforcement of its own rules.