By Zahran Maali
NABLUS, June 9, 2026 (WAFA) – For residents of Beit Imerin, a village northwest of Nablus, nighttime is no longer a time for rest or sleep. Instead, it has become a period of vigilance, fear, and watchfulness. As a pastoral settlement outpost has expanded across the hills surrounding the village and colonists' attacks have intensified, residents say their daily lives have become defined by constant concern for their safety, property, and land.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the home of resident Bilal Abdo, located on the village’s western outskirts, came under attack by approximately ten masked colonists dressed in black and carrying weapons, according to his account.
Abdo said the assailants arrived from the area known as Ras al-Ain, where a new settlement outpost was recently established. They allegedly attempted to break into his home before pelting it with stones and setting his vehicle ablaze after pouring a highly flammable substance on it.
“My house is in a relatively isolated area, which made me fear for my family’s safety, especially my children,” Abdo said. His youngest child is eight years old.
He described how repeated attacks since the establishment of the nearby outpost have dramatically altered his daily life.
“Since the outpost was established, I no longer sleep normally at night,” he said. “I stay awake guarding the house until morning and try to sleep during the day if I can. Sometimes I go to my construction job without sleeping at all.”
According to Abdo, fear is no longer linked to a single incident but has become part of everyday life for residents living near settlement outposts.
Beit Imerin Village Council head Akram Faqeeh said the village has experienced nearly a year of escalating measures and attacks, including the leveling of agricultural land and the construction of new settlement roads linking settlements and outposts established on surrounding hilltops.
Residents believe the developments extend beyond isolated incidents and form part of a broader policy aimed at creating new realities on the ground and expanding settlement control in the area.
The impact of settlement expansion has not been limited to homes near the outpost. It has also affected livestock farming, a primary source of income for dozens of families in the village.
Livestock breeder Jaafar Faqeeh said colonists have prevented shepherds from accessing grazing lands they have used for decades and have carried out direct attacks against residents and their property.
He recalled an incident during the month of Ramadan when colonists allegedly broke into a home and stole dozens of sheep as well as two donkeys. He also said he was personally attacked with pepper spray while attempting to assess what was happening in the area.
“The aim of these attacks is to pressure residents and force them to leave their land,” he said.
On the eastern side of the village, resident Sadiq Faqeeh described a similar experience. Despite surrounding his home with barbed wire and heavy iron gates, he said colonists managed to reach the property, cut sections of the fencing, and throw incendiary bottles toward the house in April.
Although family members managed to extinguish the fire before it spread, he said the incident left deep psychological scars.
“We no longer know what it means to sleep, live normally, or even go to work,” he said. “We feel threatened at any moment.”
Residents of Beit Imerin say they increasingly feel powerless in the face of recurring attacks and question who can provide protection for them and their families. For many, the issue is no longer limited to the loss of land, vehicles, or livelihoods, but has become a matter of personal security and the right to live in their homes without fear.
Abdo noted that his house is not protected by walls or security measures capable of preventing attackers or stones from reaching it, and called for protection and support for families living adjacent to the settlement outpost.
As settlement expansion and attacks continue, Beit Imerin has become one of many Palestinian villages facing a daily struggle with an increasingly complex reality, where concern for children’s safety is intertwined with attachment to the land. For many residents, nights are spent not waiting for dawn, but anticipating the possibility of another attack descending from the hilltops above.
K.T
