Helping hand: Israeli forces in the service of Jewish settlers

Palestinians in Urif village fear for their lives as attacks by illegal Jewish settlers surge and Israeli troops assist.

Urif, Occupied West Bank – The villagers of Urif are living in fear for their lives and property as illegal settlers based on a nearby hill – and Israeli forces backing them – continue to terrorise the area. “We never know when the next attack will be, what damage the settlers will cause, and whether they will kill somebody,” said Samir Sawalna, 65, whose home is located on the edge of the village nearest to the Israeli settlement of Yitzhar. “The settlers raided the village last week, accompanied by soldiers, and set fire to our olive orchards and chopped down some trees that had taken decades to grow,” Sawalna told Al Jazeera.