On 7 February 2021, Nawal Isma’il (68), a widow and mother of seven, discovered settlers had uprooted some 20 olive seedlings she had planted two years ago in her land south of the village.
The security fence of the settlement of Shvut Rachel was erected near the plot.
In a testimony she gave B’Tselem field researcher Salma a-Deb’i, Nawal Isma’il recounted the settlers’ damage to her property:
I come to my land every morning. That morning, when I arrived, I discovered that settlers had uprooted and broken all the olive seedlings. I went mad! They didn’t even leave a single little seedling. I planted them, and they just uprooted them and threw them away. I later found the uprooted seedlings tossed away far from the plot. I called my cousin, and his son Amir arrived and called Shvut Rachel’s security coordinator.
The security coordinator arrived about an hour later and spoke to Amir in Hebrew. He told Amir that he saw the people who uprooted the seedlings on the security cameras, and they weren’t from their settlement. He asked us not to report the incident because it would cause problems and said that he’d make sure it won't happen again if we didn't tell anyone.
I was hoping to replant the seedlings, but they broke them, and it wasn’t possible. I cared for and nurtured these seedlings like children. I felt sad for them and all the work I’d put into this plot.