Israeli settlers from the Karneh Shemron settlement have been repeatedly attacking a Palestinian family in Kufr Laqif village, near Qalqilia in the West Bank.The eleven members of Mahmoud Awad’s family face the constant threat of eviction because their house lies on the outskirts of the village, in an area were the settlers plan to expand Karneh Shemron settlement.
The main Qalqilia-Nablus road, designated as an Israeli-only road, separates the Awad family from Kufr Laqif village.
Each day, Mahmoud’s children must dodge traffic in order to cross the highway on their way to school or the market.
He told PNN that settlers frequently attack his house with rocks and Molotov cocktails in an attempt to frighten the family into leaving.
Awad insists that he will not give into the settler’s intimidations and attacks. Last Monday, Awad brought workers from the Qalqilia municipality to reconnect the electricity to his house. Israeli soldiers detained him and his workers for several hours. Upon releasing the men, soldiers told them not to return to the area, claiming it was a “closed military zone”.
Like many other Palestinian families throughout the West Bank, the Awads face eviction from their home in order to make room for settlement expansion. Despite having permission to build his house, Awad is facing a court challenge.
Two weeks ago, the Israeli army sought a court order to build the separation wall from Azoun village to the Ahijah lands; the proposed path of the wall would run through Awad’s property.
Residents of Kufr Laqif fear that Karneh Shemron settlers have future plans for expansion that would engulf their village entirely.
