West Bank anti-eviction encampment rallies Palestinians, Israeli allies
- Some activists point out that despite the energy in the encampment, the Israeli government appears set on expanding settlement activity
Flanked by smartphone-wielding peace activists, members of an evicted Palestinian family marched onto land seized by armed Israeli settlers, shouting “Out! Out!” as they live-streamed the confrontation on Instagram.
After Israeli security forces turned them away, they retreated to their makeshift base: a fast-growing tented encampment for supporters of the family – the Kisiyas – that has spotlighted their plight amid widening settler attacks in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Violence in the West Bank has surged alongside the war in Gaza, with at least 640 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops and settlers since Hamas’s October 7 attack, according to a tally by journalists based on Palestinian health ministry figures.
At least 19 Israelis have also died in Palestinian attacks during the same period, according to Israeli officials.
Yet weeks of demonstrations at the tent near the Kisiyas’ home in Beit Jala, south of Jerusalem, have made their story stand out, attracting anti-settlement activists, lawmakers, rabbis and Palestinians from other communities facing similar incursions.
The daily gatherings feature meals, prayer, singalongs, and lessons on non-violent resistance, usually followed by a caravan to the contested site to demand that the settlers leave.