For Palestinians, settler abuse is only the beginning of the ordeal

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A Palestinian from the northern West Bank looking to file a complaint against settlers must appear in person at the Ariel police station - but Palestinians are prohibited from entering Israeli territory.
By Avi Issacharoff

Almost every few weeks (or days, depending on the season), the following ceremony repeats itself in Palestinian villages around Nablus: A group of Israeli settlers from one of the outposts in the West Bank hills attacks Palestinian farmers while they are grazing sheep or working the fields, hoping to throw them off Palestinian land.

The village of Burin, south of Nablus, sits nestled in a dry river bed between the settlements of Yitzhar (and its outposts) and Bracha (and its outposts). More than a few farmers from Burin have had stones thrown at them or been beaten or had their property and animals harmed. Two years ago, settlers shot at six sheep belonging to a Burin resident; a year ago, a field was torched.

Very few complaints about settler violence against Palestinians that reach the Israeli district police office in the West Bank, however, lead to indictments. Personnel limitations, along with the relatively sophisticated manner in which the settlers operate, often make it difficult to lodge such complaints. Based on both a Haaretz investigation and the many reports that have reached the newspaper, it is clear that even when the police are in a position to help, they raise no small amount of obstacles for Palestinian complainants.

For example, a Palestinian from the northern West Bank looking to file a complaint against settlers must appear in person at the Ariel police station - but Palestinians are prohibited from entering Israeli territory. In such cases, the accepted police practice is for the Palestinians to call the station and inform them that they have arrived at the entrance to Ariel; the duty officer then sends a police car to bring them to the station in the center of the city.

In light of reports of police foot-dragging in dealing with Palestinians seeking to lodge complaints, Haaretz accompanied 35-year-old Burin resident Munir Kadus as he filed a complaint with the Israeli police in Ariel. Kadus had sought the aid of the human rights group Yesh Din.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/for-palestinians-settler-abuse-is-only-the-beginning-of-the-ordeal-1.314526

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1. Catch-22

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2. Information on settler violence from B'Tselem

Handling of complaints of settler violence

The Israeli authorities employ an undeclared policy of leniency and compromise toward Israeli civilians who harm Palestinians. The authorities show little interest in uncovering the substantial violence that Israeli civilians commit against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, and discriminate between Israelis and Palestinians in enforcing the law.

Israeli security forces made few attempts to prevent settler violence or arrest offenders. Many acts of violence were not investigated, and in other cases, the investigations were prolonged and resulted in no action being taken against anyone. In cases where settlers were tried and convicted, they were generally given extremely light sentences. This policy is in total contrast to the rigid policy of law enforcement and punishment where Palestinians harm Israelis. Towns and villages in the area of the incident are routinely placed under curfew, which has at times lasted for many days, and intensive searches and arrests are made. In many cases, Israel demolished or sealed the suspect's home. Palestinians who are tried and convicted for offenses against Israelis are given maximum punishment.

Examination of the human rights organization Yesh Din revealed that some 90 percent of the files opened by the police in 2005 regarding settlers who injured Palestinians or damaged Palestinian property, in which the investigation was completed (or not carried out because the police lost the complaint), were closed without an indictment being filed.

http://www.btselem.org/english/Settler_Violence/Law_Enforcement.asp