Settlers have attacked the mayor of Kufr Qadum and his brother in the familyâs olive groves. This comes on the eve of the olive harvesting action organized by the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, where Palestinian and international volunteers will take part in the village harvest.
Kufr Qadum mayor Muhammad Steweh and his brother, together with their families, were finishing their dayâs work when the attack began. Settlers from the nearby Kedumim settlement assaulted both men in front of their wives and children, throwing stones and attempting to force the families off the land. The mayorâs car was damaged after it was pelted with stones.
When Occupation forces arrived they ordered Muhammad Steweh, his brother and their families to back to the village. The soldiers also blocked the families from returning on the main road, forcing them to leave their car and the dayâs harvest, as the alternative road is not viable for cars.
The army and settlers are surrounding the land now. Tomorrow, volunteers and farmers are determined to go to these lands en mass to assert their right to their land and harvest.
Not many people in Kufr Qadum still dare to work on village lands close to Kedumim settlement. Farmers have faced escalating levels of violence at the hands of settlers, but a number continue to press on with the harvest, knowing full well that to do otherwise means abandoning their lands to the Occupation land grab.
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