At 2:00 A.M. on Thursday, 24 November 2016, soldiers came to the home of the Abu Munshar family in Jabal a-Rahma, a neighborhood overlooking the Old City of Hebron. The soldiers woke the family and informed them they had a warrant permitting them to take over the house. The family demanded to see it and the officer in charge showed them the warrant, which in fact permitted the soldiers to deploy on the roof only. After the family argued the point, the officer said that he would agree to take over the roof only, on condition that the family leave the door of the house open to enable the soldiers to use the bathroom. The soldiers remained on the roof until morning, when they left. That evening they returned to the roof and stayed until late at night. Throughout their time on the roof, the soldiers used the family\u2019s bathroom and kitchen.<\/p>\n
At about 8:00 P.M. the next day, Friday, 25 November, soldiers also showed up at the home of the Da\u2019na family in Wadi a-Nasarah, Hebron, a neighborhood adjacent to the security fence of the Kiryat Arba settlement. They presented a warrant allowing them to take over the entire house, not only the roof. The soldiers entered and took over parts of the house, including the bedroom of 17-year-old Warud Da\u2019na. They stayed until 8:00 A.M. During that time they slept in Warud\u2019s bed and on the floor of her room, ate in the kitchen, and used the bathroom and even the family\u2019s towels. Fearing for their children\u2019s safety, the parents sent some of the children to relatives. Warud Da\u2019na told B\u2019Tselem:<\/p>\n
According to the IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit response as quoted in an article about the incident published by Israeli news website ynetnews on 8 December 2016, the homes were commandeered as part of efforts to secure the area near the Tomb of the Patriarchs during the weekend of the reading of the reading of the Chayei Sarah [Life of Sarah] Torah portion. The IDF Spokesperson noted that the claims that soldiers had used the property of the homes they had commandeered would be looked into. Settler-affiliated websites reported that the festivities were attended by some 30,000 people, including Israeli MKs and ministers, and was celebrated under the slogan \u201cSovereignty over the Land of Israel Now\u201d.<\/p>\n
The military\u2019s conduct in the incidents described above illustrates its view of Palestinian homes as no-man\u2019s land that can be entered and used as Israeli security forces see fit at any time, with no regard to the rights and routine of the people living in those homes. Having soldiers enter one\u2019s home is a violent, degrading experience. It intimidates the residents, infringes upon their privacy, and impedes their ability to lead a normal daily life. The blatant violation of these families\u2019 rights was not a response to any wrongdoing on their part – they simply had the misfortune of living near areas taken over by settlers with the state\u2019s support. This unacceptable conduct is but another illustration of what daily life is like in central Hebron, where occupation authorities subjugate the lives of Palestinians to the whims of settlers.<\/p>\n