Some say Gaza is an open air prison, referring to the limits imposed on what goes in and out. While we don’t often see the West Bank in the same way, its residents talk of feeling locked up. As well as cyclical violence between settlers and Palestinian residents, more ‘mundane’ humiliation of low pay, power shortages and checkpoint crossings is a regular occurrence. On February 26, Hebron resident and shop owner Abdulraouf al-Mohtaseb suffered an attack at the hands of a group of around 12 to 15 Jewish settlers. The incident coincided with extreme right-wing politician Baruch Marzel’s visit to Abdulraouf’s shop during his tour of the West Bank, part of Otzma Yehudit’s campaign for the upcoming Israeli Knesset elections. The February 26 attack, which was caught on camera by Israeli TV, left Abdulraouf, his son and his neighbour with injuries as well as destroying much of their stock. The video shows nearby IDF soldiers intervening to break the fight up, but this was not before Abdulraouf endured a blow to his head, arm and leg and his son sustained injuries to his arm, leaving him with cuts and bruises. According…
