A.A., a resident of Kafr Qadum in Qalqiliyah District, recounted the community’s prolonged struggle to reopen the main road blocked by the army
Approximately 5,000 people live in the village of Kafr Qadum today. In the early 2000s, following the expansion of the Kedumim settlement, the military blocked the only main road leading from the village to Route 55, the road that connects us to Nablus, Qalqiliyah, and other areas of the West Bank. This blockade isolated the village, making it impossible to enter or leave by vehicle. For several years, village residents were forced to use dirt roads or drive through farmland to enter and exit the village. At the time, residents appealed to Israeli authorities and human rights organizations to reopen the road, but instead, the military installed a gate and closed it off.
Approximately 5,000 people live in the village of Kafr Qadum today. In the early 2000s, following the expansion of the Kedumim settlement, the military blocked the only main road leading from the village to Route 55, the road that connects us to Nablus, Qalqiliyah, and other areas of the West Bank. This blockade isolated the village.
Soldiers set a dog on a group of demonstrators in Kafr Qadum. 16 March 2012
About five years later, the Palestinian Authority, with funding from international organizations, paved another road – about 10 kilometers [approx. 6 miles] long – that passes through the villages of al-Funduq and Hajja. Since then, the only way to enter or leave the village has been through that route, which significantly lengthens the drive.
Against this backdrop, and due to the Israeli authorities’ failure to respond to the repeated demands of the residents of Kafr Qadum to reopen the old road that connects the village to the Kafr Jit junction, the residents decided to hold weekly marches and nonviolent protests, on the road that leads to the closed road in front of the settlement of Kedumim. The residents held their first weekly march on 11 July 2011 together with Israeli and international activists. The weekly protests took place continuously for 12 years.
The weekly, nonviolent demonstration involved gathering and marching toward the road leading to the closed gate, waving Palestinian flags and signs, chanting slogans demanding the reopening of the road, and burning tires. When the army arrived to disperse and suppress the demonstrators, stones were also thrown at the troops.
Over the years, hundreds of protesters have been injured by rubber-coated metal bullets, live fire, and tear gas inhalation. Two young men lost eyes after being struck by rubber-coated metal bullets fired by soldiers. In 2019, soldiers shot a nine-year-old boy.
Masked soldiers detained a seven-year-old boy during a protest in Kafr Qadum, 23 Dec. 2016
The organizers of the weekly protest took great care to impose restrictions designed to preserve the nonviolent nature of the protest. But the military responded with excessive force and violently suppressed them, which led to clashes. Over the years, hundreds of protesters have been injured by rubber-coated metal bullets, live fire, and tear gas inhalation. Two young men lost eyes after being struck by rubber-coated metal bullets fired by soldiers. In 2019, soldiers shot a nine-year-old boy, 'Abd a-Rahman Yasser a-Shteiwi in the head, and his injury resulted in complete paralysis of both his arms and both his legs.
The army has also taken other punitive measures against protestors, arresting more than 250 young people for various periods of time. The spokesperson for the weekly protest, Mr. Murad Shteiwi, was arrested about 10 times over the 12 years that they were held, most recently in October 2025. Still today, he remains in administrative detention.
Following October 7th, the protest organizers noticed that the Israeli military’s policy had changed, and that it was using excessive force and new rules of engagement. This was also reflected in the army’s widespread deployment across the West Bank, an increase in fatalities in the northern West Bank, the establishment of additional military checkpoints and extensive raids.
Following October 7th, and particularly during the first and second weeks, the protest organizers noticed that the Israeli military’s policy had changed, and that it was using excessive force and new rules of engagement. This was also reflected in the army’s widespread deployment across the West Bank, an increase in fatalities in the northern West Bank, the establishment of additional military checkpoints, and extensive raids and incursions in various areas of the West Bank. All of this occurred alongside the significant escalation and the intense war in the Gaza Strip.
Due to these alarming developments, the demonstration organizers and the residents of Kafr Qadum decided to suspend the weekly protest out of concern for the safety and wellbeing of the protestors. It was also clear that media attention had shifted to what was happening in Gaza. The last demonstration took place on 20 October 2023. After 12 years of protest, the residents’ demand to open the road to make life easier for residents has yet to be met.
- Testimony given to B’Tselem field researcher 'Abd al-Karim a-S'adi on 2 June 2026