On 16 August 2007, Zaeve Hamlial, Moshe Shvetz and Tsueka Setrouk, three Israeli settlers from Chilo Settlement near Nablus, appeared before an Israeli Local Court in Jerusalem, charged with offences arising from the attack and kidnapping, on 24 July 2007, of Amran Farah, a Palestinian child who was watching his sheep graze on a plain in the Nablus area.

Investigations carried out by Defence for Children International - Palestine Section indicated that Amran and his friends had been attacked by Israeli settlers, possibly the same group of settlers, more than once in the past.

Amran Ayman Tayseer Farah was born, raised and lives in Al-Qasra Village, near Nablus. He is 15 years old.

Between 2 and 3 pm on Tuesday, 24 July 2007, Amran and his two friends, Ahmad and Malik, were herding sheep in an area known as “Baslitta” or “Al Wa'ar”, about 1 kilometre south of the village.

Amran saw a small tractor commonly referred to as a “tractoron” approaching him and his two friends. Inside this vehicle, were two Israeli settlers. These men were carrying firearms and while approaching the boys, started shooting at them. The boys started running away immediately. Ahmad ran in the direction of a nearby village. Malik climbed and hid in a tree, watching the events that followed from there.

Amran, who saw and felt the bullets ricochet on the stones around him as he crouched down to avoid them, stood up to face the settlers in an apparent surrender, out of fear and terror.

The settlers descended upon Amran and began to beat and kick him about his body, including his face, with their hands, feet and their weapons. Malik was watching the assault from his refuge point above, about 50 m away. He saw one of the settlers sit on Amran while he was on the ground and later, when Amran was being dragged to the tractoron, he saw blood on Amran's face. He heard Amran screaming.

Amran was blindfolded with the shirt that was ripped from his body, and his hands were bound behind his back with plastic cord. He was dragged into the tractoron and taken to another location and beaten further. Amran lost consciousness several times during the assault. He heard the voice of women and children and thought he may have been taken to a settlement. During this second series of beatings he heard one of the settlers ask “Shall we shoot him?”

Amran was again returned to the tractoron. Additional cord was wrapped around his face and head. He was taken to another location and thrown to the ground. He was beaten further by his captors. His underwear and trousers were removed and he was beaten between his legs and around his genitals. He was then struck on the head and eventually lost consciousness.

Some time after, at around 4.45 pm, he regained consciousness. He got up and walked to the main road, naked below his waist. He hailed a car from the passing traffic and was taken to the nearest village, then to Etihad Hospital in Nablus where he remained for five days.

A medical report obtained by Defence for Children International from Amran's treating doctor at the hospital noted the following injuries:

“A 2 cm cut above his right eyebrow;
A 3 cm cut which was 2 cm wide on his outer left thigh;
Numerous dark red marks and bruises on his left upper arm and his left calf;
A long dark bruise stretching from his stomach to the right-hand side of his waist;
Several red marks and dark bruises consistent with being beaten on the back of his left thigh;
There were several dark red and blue marks around both of his wrists consistent with his wrists being tied;
There were several dark red and blue bruises on both his kneecaps;
He had a deep wound consisting of a large bruise and broken skin on the right sole of his foot”.

24 July 2007, 5.30pm
Etihad Hospital, Nablus

The medical report noted that Amran's injuries were consistent with Amran's account of the events to the doctor, that he had been continuously physically beaten . Photographs taken by Defence for Children International, Palestine Section illustrate the severity of Amran's injuries.

On 30 July 2007, Defence for Children International, Palestine Section spoke to Amran, Ahmad and Malik:

Statement of Amran Ayman Tayseer Farah
30 July 2007

On Tuesday, 24 July 2007 I left the village so I could herd some sheep with my friends, Mailk Farid who is 14 years old and Ahmad Mohammed who is 18 years old.

We went to an area known as “Baslitta” which we also refer to as “Al Wa'ar”. It is an area in the south of the village about 1 kilometre away.

I think it was around 2.45 pm when we left the village. We started herding the sheep and we sat on the ground and left the sheep to graze. We stayed seated so we didn't get too far from the sheep. I got up because there were some sheep that were straying. When I got back, I saw a small green tractor-on and two Israeli settlers were riding on it. The driver was wearing a grey shirt and army, khaki coloured trousers. He had a beard and long sideburns and long hair. He had a gun tucked into his side at the top of his trousers. I can't remember what the second settler was wearing but he had long hair and plaited sideburns and also a long beard. He was holding a long, black firearm.

When we saw the settlers, we all ran. We left the sheep. I heard shots being fired. I was running away from the shots. The shots were hitting the rocks and stones around the hill where we were running. I stopped and crouched down. I think I heard about 5 or 6 shots. When I knew they were shooting at us, I was very scared and I stood up suddenly. I didn't run, I was very scared.

At this time, the driver of the tractor-on got out of the tractor-on and started running towards me. The other settler stayed near the tractor. The driver approached me very quickly and grabbed me and started to hit me with his arms and legs all over my body. I tried to run away but he grabbed my head and started to hit it against a stone on the hill face.

I was screaming from the pain and I was so scared he was going to kill me. He left me afterwards and ran off, I think to find Ahmad. I was lying on the ground.

The second settler approached me and started to hit me with his gun all over my body. He was hitting me with his gun on my forehead. I felt blood running down my face. He was hitting me for about 10 minutes.

At this time, the first settler who was the driver, returned. Both of them started hitting and kicking me with their hands and feet and their firearms for about 10 minutes. I was still conscious but I was in a lot of pain. I was screaming and saying “My head!!, My Head!!!” and “Mother!” “Father!” “Please come and help me!”

They ripped my shirt. It was a blue shirt and they ripped it off me and bound it around my eyes. They grabbed my arms and they dragged me towards the tractor-on. This was about 10 meters away.

They tied my hands with what I felt were plastic cords. They put me in the tractor-on between them. The tractor-on started moving and my head hit the front of the tractor-on. Afterwards, I lost consciousness as I don't remember what happened.

I woke up to find them pouring water over me. The smell of the water was the smell of petrol. I was lying on the ground, my face on the ground and my wrists were tied together behind my back.

I heard one of them say in Arabic “shall we shoot him?” The other settler said “Loh, Loh” in Hebrew. They continued to beat me. I heard the sounds of a woman and some children. I thought I had been taken to their settlement. Afterwards, the beating stopped.

They started beating me again for about 5 minutes with their arms, legs and firearms all over my body.

Afterwards, they got an electrical cord that felt very thick and they tied my wrists even though they were already tied. They also wrapped it around my head and mouth. My mouth was covered. They put me back into the tractor and the tractor started moving.

The tractor was in motion for about 10 minutes and all the time I couldn't see or move. Afterwards they pulled me out of the tractor and one of them grabbed me around my shoulder and kicked me around my legs. I fell on the ground on my face. They were swearing at me and cursing my sisters and mother.

They started to beat me again with their hands, feet and their firearms all over my body again.

Then it stopped. They took off my trousers and underwear. I was wearing white boxer shorts and blue track pants and brown sandals. I was left in my singlet and black t-shirt.

They then started to kick me and beat me with their firearms on the sides of my legs, and on my thighs and on my hands. I could feel electrical shocks on my hands. I was in so much pain.

One of them started to beat me in between my legs and around my testicles. I was in extreme pain. I was being beaten here for the longest time. I think it may have been about 15 minutes. I began to lose consciousness. Something hard came down on my head and I completely lost consciousness.

I regained consciousness but I don't know when. It was very hot. I realised I was alone. I attempted to drag myself through the dirt, my wrists were still tied behind my back. I was trying to get the blindfold off my face by rubbing my head into the dirt. I continued to do this until the blindfold came off. I looked for my clothes and I couldn't find them. I found myself in the middle of nowhere in the forest somewhere on a hill.

I gradually stood up and I could see Dooma Village in the distance. I thought at the time that it may have been about 1 kilometre away. I walked down the hill for about 1 kilometre. I found the main road which was the Jericho/Nablus Road. My hands were still tied behind my back. I started to hail down the cars. No one stopped. I did this for about 10 minutes.

A white Subaru stopped beside me and inside the car there were four people. One of them was from our village and he knew me and he got out of the car. They all got off the car and untied me. They gave me some water. They covered my lower body with something. They then put me in the car and took me to the village.

They took me to my village and some relatives there took me to a medical clinic in Qabalan Village. The staff bandaged my arms and hands and took me to Etihad Hospital in Nablus City.

My forehead wound was still bleeding at that time. My left hand was bleeding also. I was treated for these wounds at the hospital. My forehead was stitched with four stitches and my hand with five stitches. I stayed in hospital for five days.

The settlement near the place where we were herding the sheep is called Chilo. It consists of about six caravans. The settlers have in the past stopped local Palestinian residents from using village owned land near the settlement.

I have been beaten by settlers before for herding sheep in a different area. The area is on the Jalood Road and is a plain, not in the hills.

Statement taken from Ahmad Mohammad Abdel Rahim Hassan, 30 July 2007
Date of Birth: 8 February 1989, 18 years

On Tuesday 24 July 2007 at around 2 pm, I left Qasra village to herd some sheep with Amran and Malik. We headed for “Baslitta” which is also known as “Al Wa'ar”, towards the southern region of the village.

When we arrived in this area we started to herd the sheep so that they could be watched and graze together. We sat down and watched over them

Suddenly a tractor-on approached us. It was green and two armed settlers were in it. One of them had a big black gun and the second had very long hair. When I first saw them approaching they were about 50 metres away. As soon as I saw them, I got up and ran.

They starting shooting at us. I kept running and Amran was running with me up the hill. I saw Malik hide behind a Za'rour tree. I kept running and I didn't look behind me because I was so scared. I didn't see the settlers attacked Amran.

I ran towards the direction of the south of Dooma village. I ran and walked for about 1.5 kilometres until I reached the village. I can't remember how long this took.

Not long after I got to the village, people in the village were talking about some settlers who were shooting in the area and who had kidnapped Amran.

I found out that Amran was in hospital because he had been assaulted by the settlers.

Statement of Malik Farid Ali Hassan, 30 July 2007
Date of Birth: 7 May 1993, 14 years

On Tuesday 24 July 2007 at around 2.30 pm, I went to Baslitta Area to herd sheep. This is about 1 kilometre south of the village from where I live, Qasra village. I saw Amran herding his sheep there and Ahmad was with him as well. I was about 30 metres away from them and as I was approaching them, we were talking to each other from this distance. We were speaking in loud voices so we could hear each other.

Suddenly, Ahmad and Amran were running and Amran was shouting “Run!, Run!”. I saw a tractor-on approaching them. I saw two settlers in the tractor-on and they were heading towards us. The tractor-on was speeding and not using the proper track. It was going over stones and through foliage.

I have seen these settlers before and I recognised them. We have herded the sheep in the area before and they have approached us and chased us away more than once before.

I ran and climbed a tree and hid in it.

I saw Amran and Ahmad both run towards the hill. There, there is a settler road that Palestinians cannot use. The settlers stopped the tractor-on and got out of it. I was about 50 metres away. I saw one of the settlers shooting at Amran and Ahmad. He was shouting “Come here! Come here!”.

Amran stopped and lifted up his hands. The other settler ran after Ahmad.

The first settler approached Amran. This settler was wearing a white shirt and blue shorts. He had a long beard and his hair was curly and long. He was holding a long black firearm. He got near Amran and started hitting him with his fists. He started to hit him with the butt of his rifle. Amran was screaming but I couldn't quite hear what he was saying. The settler was hitting him for about 5 minutes. He knocked him down to the ground and sat on his back. He was punching him while he was on the ground.

The second settler then returned. He was wearing jeans and a navy shirt. He had long hair tied at the back and he was blond. He had a short blond beard. This settler started to kick Amran as well. He also sat on Amran's back. The other settler got up and was walking back and forth and was talking on his mobile phone.

I thought Amran was dead. He wasn't moving. The settler who was on the phone returned. Both settlers then grabbed Amran by his arms and they lifted him up to a standing position. I saw that Amran had blood all over his face. They ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around his face and covered his face. They dragged him towards the tractor-on which was about 15 metres away from them.

One of the settlers took a yellow cord from the tractor. They tied Amrans hands together and put him in the tractor-on. They sat either side of him on the tractor-on. They drove the tractor towards the settlement.

I kept watching until I couldn't see them anymore.

Afterwards I ran home. I arrived back at the village around 3:30 pm. I found some of Amran's siblings and told them that some settlers had assaulted and kidnapped him. I then went home.

I remember that these settlers have attacked us more than once before. In 2006, these settlers shot at me while I was herding sheep. Some of the villagers who were harvesting wheat spoke to the settlers to negotiate an agreement so that we could herd and graze our sheep and be left alone.