Dozens of Palestinian Arabs from the villages of Kadum and Beit Lid arrived today (Thursday) at the Shirat Zion homestead near Kedumim, attacked residents with stones and clubs, and caused damage to several structures at the site.
After the attack, the assailants fled, and no arrests were reported.
The farmers claim that the incident began when they noticed a large group approaching up the slope. The residents called in IDF forces and tried to repel the attackers.
At the same time, another group succeeded in outflanking the farmers, entered the residential areas, and damaged equipment and structures that had been erected there.
Residents say this is another incident in a series over the past two months that included arson, damage to tefillin and holy books, and an attack on a resident who was wounded in the head and taken to the hospital.
Shirat Zion was established several months ago in the name of Second Lieutenant Shir Hajaj, who was killed in an attack in Jerusalem in 2018. Residents report frequent harassment by local Arabs and repeated evictions by Israeli forces, during some of which residents were detained after clashes.
The homestead's residents criticized the IDF's response. "Almost every day we call and warn the IDF about gatherings of the area's Arabs to attack us residents and to drive us away from the area. We warn, and the army ignores us, and in the end, we are attacked."
They also said, "Today's event ended miraculously with no physical casualties apart from minor injuries. It is time that the army and the system stop treating us as the enemy, and begin to fight the Arab enemy who attacks us without end."