WATCH: After handshake, settler child throws stone at six-year-old Palestinian

By Mairav Zonszein October 5, 2013 | Edit

One activist captures what was almost a moving moment between a six-year-old Palestinian and a settler child in the occupied south Hebron Hills. Almost.

In a video filmed by Amir Bitan, an Israeli Ta’ayush activist, Thamer Ibrahim Alayan, a 6-year-old Palestinian child from the Umm al Ara’is village in the South Hebron Hills is seen going up to shake the hand of a settler child from the illegal outpost of Mitzpeh Yair. Thamer is first seen being escorted away from the settlement by a Border Policeman, presumably to prevent a confrontation between the two. However, Thamer returns to the settler, and after the two shake hands in an almost moving moment, the settler child picks up a rock and throws it at Thamer. (Watch From about 1:30)

Settlers have been trying to claim and take over more of Umm al Ara’is’ land, often driving Palestinian farmers away. In order to avoid having to deal with the settlers, the IDF declared it a closed military zone three months ago.

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TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence. We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies. This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza. We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives. Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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