The night raids are a part of an Israeli strategy of
collective punishment of the village. While no arrests were made this week,
villagers believe that Israel is preparing for a wave of arrests for those
associated with weekly demonstrations.
“The last time they raided houses and photographed our
children, five were arrested in the following days. The entire village has not
been raided before in this way. Soldiers literally went from house to house and
photographed everyone,” said Bassem Tamimi, a member of the village’s popular
committee whose house was raided.
The hilltop village of Nabi Saleh is home to approximately
550 residents and is located 30 km northeast of Ramallah along Highway 465.
Residents have been holding regular demonstrations against the creeping
confiscation of their lands by the adjacent Jewish-only settlement of Halamish
since December 2009. Protest was sparked after settlers, abated by Israeli
soldiers, forcefully took over a natural spring belonging to the village.
In recent months Israel is waging a politically motivated
campaign of repression against the Palestinian popular struggle that includes a
policy of negligent use of arms, cover up of criminal misconduct and legal
persecution.
