Kafr Malik, Ramallah District: Palestinians protesting against outpost driven out with gunfire by settlers and dispersed with stun grenades and tear gas by soldiers
On 18 December 2020, at around 11:00 A.M., about 60 residents of Kafr Malik held a demonstration against a new outpost that settlers set up in early November 2020 near the community of Ras a-Tin, which lies southeast of the village. The outpost occupants have been attacking and harassing farmers and shepherds in the area and scaring them off the land. The residents hold weekly protests in the area.
This time, the residents gathered at a farm near Ras a-Tin and started marching towards the outpost, which lies about two kilometers away. Within minutes, two vehicles arrived and about eight masked settlers got out, carrying clubs. One of them fired several gunshots at the protesters.
The residents dispersed and moved away. At that point, a military jeep drove up and three soldiers got out. They tried to separate the settlers from the residents, but did not detain the settler who had fired the shots, although they saw him walking around with his gun drawn and residents informed them that he had fired at them.
Meanwhile, two other vehicles drew up with eight more settlers, who had two large dogs with them. Two of the settlers grabbed the dogs by the leash and ran towards the protesters, making threatening motions, while the soldiers tried to block their path. Several residents began throwing stones at the settlers to fend off the dogs. Later on, four other military jeeps drove up. Soldiers got out and started hurling stun grenades and firing tear gas canisters at the residents, until they drove them all out around midday.
On 4 December 2020, soldiers fatally shot ‘Ali Abu ‘Alia(14), while he watched a protest against the same outpost near his village, al-Mughayir:
https://www.btselem.org/firearms/20201230_killing_of_ali_abu_alia_in_al_mughayir
