'Murdered on his own land': Palestinian village

mourns father killed by settlers

Family describes how Mahmoud Odeh was cradled by his son as he died after
being shot by settlers on his own farmland near Qusra in West Bank

A flyer commemorating Mahmoud Odeh is taped to a lamp post outside his

familys home (MEE/Yumna Patel)

Yumna Patel-Friday 8 December 2017

QUSRA, Occupied West Bank - Death is the price you pay when you have nothing
but your body to defend your land, Amjad said matter of factly, recounting stories
of Palestinians in his hometown of Qusra who have been injured or killed over the
years as a result of attacks by Israeli settlers.
The latest to pay that price last Thursday was a loving husband and 48-year-old
father of seven, who, according to his family, loved nothing more than to tend to
this land.
Mahmoud Odeh, along with two of his sons, Awad, 22, and Abd al-Rahman, five,
was doing just that when a group of Israelis from nearby illegal settlements came
onto his farmland.
Read more
Israeli settlers kill unarmed Palestinian in village near Nablus
He talked to one of the leaders of the group, saying they had no business on his
land, and told them to leave, Mahmouds younger brother Khalid told Middle
East Eye.
When the settlers refused, a verbal dispute reportedly ensued, and moments
later, one of the settlers drew his gun and fired one fatal shot into Mahmouds
back, according to Khalids account.
We still dont know exactly what happened, Khalid said. The only person who
can tell us is Awad, and he hasnt spoken more than a few words since he saw his
father die between his hands.

The dried blood of Mahmoud

Odeh can still be seen on the ground where he was shot (Yumna Patel/MEE)
Local Palestinian media outlets reported that Mahmoud was killed after he tried
to defend himself against the group of settlers who attacked him.
An Israeli army spokesperson gave a different account of events.
Early Thursday morning, 20 Israeli civilians were travelling near the village of
Qusra, the spokesperson told MEE, when Palestinians threw rocks at the group.
In response, one of the travellers fired towards the Palestinians and one was
injured, the spokesperson continued, adding that the group had then
entrenched themselves in a grotto.
What we do know to be true is that Mahmoud was a peaceful man
- Khalid Odeh, brother of Mahmoud Odeh
Shortly afterwards, Israeli soldiers arrived in the area to protect the settlers. The
spokesperson said that the incident would be investigated by the army.
In Qusra, several villagers heard the sound of the gunfire and immediately ran to
the area, to find Awad cradling Mahmouds bleeding body as five-year-old Abd al-
Rahman stood in shock, watching as his father gasped his last breaths.
Yes, we were not there to see exactly what happened, Khalid said, choking back
tears, but what we do know to be true is that Mahmoud was a peaceful man. Ask
anyone in the village, and they will tell you how kind, friendly, and pious he was.
Amjad, a relative of the Odehs through marriage, and several relatives sat in the
family living room, nodding in agreement.
Weve been through this before
Nestled between Nablus and Jericho, in the northern occupied West Bank, Qusra -
home to some 7,000 Palestinians - is tucked away between rolling hilltops dotted
with illegal Israeli settlements.
The main road to the village is quiet. Palestinian cars continue straight into the
village, while Israelis living in the adjacent Migdalim settlement take a right to
arrive to their homes, mere metres away.
Qusra village is located southeast of Nablus city in the northern occupied West
Bank (Yumna Patel/MEE)
The pavement, littered with ashes of burnt tyres, tear gas canisters, and stones,
and the Israeli soldiers stationed in the nearby olive groves, are a tense reminder
of a daily reality in Qusra in which deadly violence can break out at any moment.
'They cut down olive trees, cut our electricity lines, throw stones at us, attack our
homes, and burn our mosques'
- Muhammad Jaber, mayor of Qusra
There have been more than 180 settler attacks on the Palestinians in Qusra in
the past six years alone, Muhammad Jaber, the mayor of Qusra, told MEE.
They cut down olive trees, cut our electricity lines, throw stones at us, attack our
homes, and burn our mosques, Jaber said, pointing out that the majority of the
attacks take place in the winter time, when the residents of Qusra were less likely
to be outside and on the lookout.
While the nearby Magdalim settlement, which was built on around 500 dunams
(500,000 square metres) of the villages land, has been around since the 70s,
Qusras problems really began when ultra-right-wing settlers set up the Esh
Kodesh settlement outpost on the outskirts of the village in 2000.

In 2011, hundreds of settlers from Esh Kodesh and nearby outposts raided Qusra,
attacking locals and destroying farmland, causing clashes to break out with Israeli
soldiers, who had come to escort the settlers.
In the midst of it, 35-year old Issam Badran was shot and killed by a soldier. He
was Mahmouds nephew.
Issam died at the hands of the army, but it was because of the settlers, Amjad
said, and now his uncle is dead because of those same settlers.
Read more
Palestine's arson victims wait for justice: 'He just wants to go to heaven'
He pointed to the bloodstained rocks where Mahmoud was killed, just on the
edge of Qusra, overlooking the village of Duma where three members of the
Dawabsheh family were killed when settlers set fire to their home in 2015.
Neither Issam or Mahmoud were armed. They were using their bare hands to
defend their lands, and they died for it.
No one to protect us but ourselves
The majority of Qusras land has been designated within areas B and C of the
West Bank, where security affairs lie entirely under Israeli military control.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has no jurisdiction here, Amjad said, leaving us
to fend for ourselves.
The Palestinians in Qusra have been subject to violent attacks for years at the
hands of settlers from Esh Kodesh, infamous for its ultra-nationalist, often violent
residents.
In 2010, a year before Issam Badran was killed, a settler from Esh Kodesh
kidnapped and beat a teenager from Qusra.

The Migdalim
settlement sits on a hill adjacent to Qusra, overlooking the village (Yumna
Patel/MEE)
In 2013, a young man from Qusra was critically wounded after being shot by an
Esh Kodesh settler, several Palestinian cars were torched, and attempts made by
settlers to carry out so-called price tag attacks, acts of violence against
Palestinian targets or Israeli military in retaliation for any attempt to limit their
settlement enterprise, were thwarted by locals from Qusra.
While a few Esh Kodesh settlers have been tried and charged in Israeli courts for
such attacks, the residents of Qusra say there is a prevalent culture of impunity
being fostered by Israeli army forces, who set up a military base a few years ago.
The army serves to protect the settlers, no matter what, Amjad said, but when
we try to defend ourselves, they fire tear gas, stun grenades, and live ammunition
at us.
Moments after Mahmoud was killed, another man from Qusra was shot and
injured by Israeli forces who came to protect the settlers. Days later, the mans
son was critically injured during clashes with Israeli forces in the town.

Israeli soldiers scuffle with Palestinian men as they detain a demonstrator during
clashes outside Qusra on Monday (AFP)
When the settlers kill someone, the soldiers protect them, and the courts rarely
prosecute them. When Israel doesnt punish the settlers, they are just giving them
more permission to kill, destroy, and steal, Amjad said.
We want justice
The United Nations reported in August that after a three-year decline of settler
attacks on Palestinians, the first half of 2017 showed a major increase in such
attacks, with 89 incidents being documented so far this year, representing an 88
percent increase compared to 2016.
Israeli authorities served indictments in only 8.2 percent of cases of Israeli settlers
committing anti-Palestinian crimes in the occupied West Bank in the past three
years, according to Israeli NGO Yesh Din.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Mahmouds family has vowed to
take his case to court.
My brother was murdered on his own land, in front of his children, Khalid said,
we want justice.
Read more
Bitter harvest: Israeli settlements close in on Palestinian olive farmers
Adding insult to injury, Khalid told MEE that Israeli forces had delivered a notice
to Mahmoud days before his killing to inform him that the Israeli government was
planning on confiscating portions of his land for settlement expansion.
He was supposed to appear in court on 18 December, but now I will go in his
place, Khalid said.
"Mahmoud loved this land with all his heart, not a day went by when he wasnt
taking care of it, Khalid said.
"He fought for his land until his dying breath, and we will continue his fight with
everything that we have."
Posted by Thavam