BETHLEHEM, West Bank /PNN/ Monjed Jadou Palestinian residents have voiced frustration over what they described as local and international silence following an overnight attack by Israeli settlers on homes in the rural Khallat al-Louz area, south of Bethlehem, where residents say assailants broke into houses, stole property and vandalized belongings.
The attack took place in the early hours of Monday in the area behind the Bethlehem University Graduates Association housing project. Residents accused Israeli authorities of failing to protect them and said police refused to accept complaints filed after the incident.
Abdul Rahman Al-Ahmar, a lawyer and owner of one of the targeted homes, said he received a phone call while in Dheisheh refugee camp informing him that intruders were breaking into houses in the area.
He said he and neighboring homeowners rushed to the scene and found dozens of settlers inside the properties.
"When we shouted at them and chased them away, they fled," Al-Ahmar said.
According to Al-Ahmar, the attackers smashed the main entrance door, destroyed kitchen cabinets and appliances, damaged a television set and bedroom furniture, and attempted to steal a refrigerator, microwave and other household items. He said the settlers also vandalised bathrooms, damaged water tanks on the roof and punctured them with knives. He added that electricity infrastructure serving several homes was deliberately damaged, including power lines and electricity meters, in what he described as an attempt to force residents from their properties.
Al-Ahmar said he later went to an Israeli police station in a nearby settlement to file a complaint but was told to provide photographic evidence proving the settlers were responsible.
"In every country, police investigate crimes after receiving complaints. Here, they refused to even register the complaint," he said, accusing Israeli authorities of complicity with settler violence.
He also alleged that settlers killed chickens kept on his property during the raid and said his home had been attacked 13 times previously.
"They have attacked this house for the thirteenth time, but we will not leave. We built these homes through years of hard work and sacrifice, and neither we nor our children will abandon them," he said.
Another resident, Fathi Mallash, said settlers looted and damaged much of the contents of his home before residents arrived and forced them to flee. "They stole electrical fittings, damaged wiring, removed aluminium window shutters, took furniture and even stole one of the doors," Mallash said.
He said some of the stolen items were later found abandoned in nearby agricultural land after settlers fled the area.
Mallash called on Palestinian authorities to improve infrastructure and services in the area, including roads, lighting and water networks, to help residents remain on their land.
"We will not leave our home regardless of the cost," he said.
Mohammad Al-Jaafari, Director-General of Public Affairs at the Bethlehem Governorate, visited the area following the attack and said Governor Mohammad Taha Abu Alia had instructed officials to take steps aimed at strengthening residents' ability to remain in the area.
Al-Jaafari said the governorate had coordinated with the Jerusalem District Electricity Company to restore power to affected homes and had contacted the Ministry of Public Works regarding plans to pave roads serving the community.
He added that local officials had briefed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and other government ministers on what they described as an escalation in settler attacks across Bethlehem Governorate, including Khallat al-Louz. According to Al-Jaafari, the governorate has also urged Palestinian liaison offices to press Israeli authorities to investigate the attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
He called on journalists and international media organisations to increase coverage of settler violence in rural Palestinian communities.
"These are silent attacks taking place in Palestinian villages," Al-Jaafari said. "The settlers believe this intimidation will force people from their land, but the residents remain determined to stay."
He also urged international human rights organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch and United Nations agencies, to intervene and document what he described as escalating settler violence.
Residents and local officials said the attacks form part of a broader pattern of pressure aimed at driving Palestinians from rural areas surrounding Bethlehem but stressed that they remain committed to staying on their land despite repeated assaults and growing security concerns.