Al-Nabi Samuel, Palestine – Every Friday for the past two months in the Palestinian village of al-Nabi Samuel, Israeli forces have been suppressing vigils organized by Palestinian residents. Just six miles northwest of occupied Jerusalem, Nabi Samuel is one of several villages that the Israeli separation wall has closed off. The village is entirely besieged and isolated between separation walls, and the village’s ~400 residents need permission from the Israeli forces to leave. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

“There has been a serious attempt for many years to expel the people of the Prophet Samuel and an attempt to practice the policy of ethnic cleansing of our people in Nabi Samuel.”

Munther Amira, Chairman of the Coordinating Committee for the Popular Resistance in the West Bank

Settlers and extremists have recently increased their aggressive actions, repeatedly storming the ancient village where the tomb of the biblical prophet Samuel lies, which is considered a holy place in the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths. The village’s only mosque has been subjected to a series of Israeli attacks, including burning it and surrounding it with barbed wire and surveillance cameras. Occupation authorities have removed the loudspeakers to prevent the call to prayer and have taken measures to close the second floor, preventing the restoration of the third floor by keeping it deserted.

Israeli forces have used pepper spray, tear gas, and physical violence on protesters. Despite the repression, residents of the village continue organizing protests and vigils to denounce the settlers’ attacks and the Israeli siege.

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