TURMUS AYYA-Wielding long sticks and with their faces wrapped in Palestinian chequered keffiyeh scarves, young men set out on a night patrol to guard their village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Each night, the team gathers at Turmus Ayya in the north of the West Bank, ready to raise the alarm in the event of a raid by Israeli settlers, who have set up bases in outposts around the village. “We do not intend to attack anyone -- we work to defend our people and our village, our home, our land and our honour,” one said, requesting anonymity for fear of arrest by Israeli forces.
“These are our weapons -- sticks and flashlights -- and we have nothing but them to defend ourselves”, he said, raising a baton and a powerful electric torch. Tensions are high, especially after the nearby Palestinian town of Huwara came under attack by Israeli settlers on Sunday, hours after two Israeli settlers were shot dead as they drove past. Hundreds of rampaging settlers set homes and cars ablaze, while a Palestinian man was killed in the nearby village of Zaatara.
Tessori vows to continue consultations with stakeholders for economic stability