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Settlers disrupt burial site hours after funeral
Mohammed Asasa had barely returned home after burying his 80-year-old father when children rushed in shouting that armed settlers were desecrating the fresh grave in the West Bank village of Asasa, near Jenin.
Family patriarch laid to rest under Islamic tradition
Hussein Asasa, a respected former livestock trader and father of ten, died of natural causes last Friday. Following Islamic custom, he was buried in a simple plot on a hillside cemetery across from the family home. Mohammed Asasa said he had even secured permission from a nearby Israeli military base to ensure the funeral proceeded without incident.
Armed settlers begin digging at newly dug grave
Less than 30 minutes later, Mohammed and his brothers arrived to find Jewish settlers-some carrying automatic rifles-using heavy tools to break into the grave. Mohammed recounted how the group was moments away from reaching his father's remains before family members intervened.
"They were on the point of reaching the body. I'm sure they were about to remove it, so we had to act immediately."
Mohammed Asasa
Settlers force family to relocate remains
Mobile phone footage captured the settlers threatening the family, saying, "Either you exhume the body or we'll do it," claiming the burial site was too close to their settlement. Under duress, Mohammed and his brothers dug up the grave themselves, carrying their father's shrouded body downhill to a safer location while settlers watched.
Israeli military and UN condemn the incident
The Israeli army later confiscated the settlers' tools but was accused by the family of standing by during the confrontation. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement condemning actions that "harm public order, the rule of law, and the dignity of the living and the deceased."
The UN human rights office called the incident "appalling and emblematic of the dehumanization of Palestinians" in the occupied territories. Ajith Sunghay, head of the local UN human rights office, said the violence "spares no one, dead or alive."
Settler expansion fuels tensions in the region
The settlers involved came from Sa-Nur, a recently re-established settlement on the hill above the cemetery. Though all settlements on Palestinian land are illegal under international law, the Netanyahu government has expanded them, designating much of the area a "closed military zone." Villagers say this restricts access to olive groves, farmland, and even the cemetery.
A relative of the Asasa family recounted how settlers and the military recently destroyed olive trees on land owned by another villager. "They think they own the whole area now," said a mourner at Hussein Asasa's tent.
Rising settler violence displaces Palestinians
Human rights groups report a surge in settler-related violence across the West Bank, with 13 Palestinians killed in such attacks since October, hundreds injured, and many forced from their homes. Empowered by extremist ministers in the Netanyahu government, armed settlers increasingly threaten Palestinian safety and livelihoods.
Family reburies Hussein Asasa in neighboring village
After the ordeal, Hussein Asasa was finally laid to rest in a small cemetery in a nearby village, free from the harassment faced by many Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
