(MENAFN) Lamees al-Jaar, a 22-year-old Bedouin Arab with an Israeli identity card, has been struggling with trauma after a harrowing attack by settlers in the occupied West Bank. Al-Jaar, who was traveling with her young daughter Elaf, her sisters Raghda (29) and Nofa (40), and Nofa’s daughter Hind (22), had been driving from Rahat in the Negev to Nablus when the incident occurred. The family, disoriented after losing their way, encountered a vehicle with an Israeli license plate and asked the driver for directions in Hebrew. Although the driver confirmed that the road led to Nablus, they soon realized they were on the wrong path. Attempts to turn around were thwarted when the driver blocked their way.

The situation quickly escalated as a group of settlers began throwing stones and chasing their car. The settlers not only shattered the car’s windows but also sprayed the family with tear gas. Raghda al-Jaar recounted their attempts to contact the Israeli police, only to find that their location was inaccurately marked as Cairo on the map application. During the chaos, Raghda exited the vehicle and identified their Israeli citizenship to a settler, who then demanded her phone and threw a large stone at her foot, breaking it. The settler also threatened them, declaring they would not survive the ordeal. Fearing for their lives, the family fled the car and ran to safety, narrowly escaping what they believed could have been a fatal attack.
 

MENAFN27082024000045015682ID1108605084