Israeli activists from Combatants for Peace joined Palestinian landowners in Beit Sahour, east of Bethlehem, after Israeli colonizers from the nearby Yatziv outpost invaded their land.
About 70 Israeli and Palestinian activists provided a protective presence and carried out community work in support of Palestinian Christian residents facing displacement.
During the action, participants replaced Israeli symbols placed on privately owned Palestinian land with flags representing solidarity, partnership, and hope.
Mayors & Cities reported that representatives of the Beit Sahour municipality and Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem attended the joint action, which protested efforts to displace Palestinians and the rise in attacks by Israeli colonizers in the area.
Combatants for Peace said it remains committed to protecting local residents and supporting Palestinians’ safe access to their land through collective action.
The organization also called for an immediate investigation into the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to peacebuilding, solidarity, and nonviolent protest.
The activists had planned to plant trees and clean the fields. However, according to the group, heavily armed Israeli colonizers opened fire in their direction in an effort to force them to leave.
Israeli forces then removed the Israeli and Palestinian activists and journalists from the area while allowing the colonizers to remain. No injuries were reported.
Despite the threats, the Israeli participants said they would continue attending such actions to help Palestinian landowners safely access their property and support their resilience through collective action.
Images by Mosab Shawer of Active Stills. According to the Active Stills description of the action: Activists replaced the Israeli flags with Palestinian ones. The Israeli flags were put on the house after 7 October 2023, in what has been described by activists as an attempt by settlers to seize control of the property. As the activists removed the flags, settlers arrived and opened fire towards them. No injuries were reported. Settlers later removed the Palestinian flags and placed Israeli flags again.
