'You're Not Israelis, You're Arabs': Settlers and Soldiers Expel Family Having a Picnic

Israeli soldiers ejected an Israeli Arab family from a site near Kafr Jibiya in the Ramallah area of the West Bank on Saturday, where the family was having a picnic. The soldiers arrived on the scene after Israelis from a nearby Jewish settlement outpost called them to the site.

In two video clips of the incident, the settlers are first seen approaching the family and telling them to leave, although the site is not within the confines of any West Bank Jewish settlement. When the family refused, one of the settlers took their belongings and threw beverages from their cups onto their campfire. The settlers continued saying - "You're not Israelis, you're Arabs, we did you a favour when we let you stay," and then called the army.

The family filmed a soldier who arrived on the scene, who told them that they had to leave. “I don’t want to use too much force. You’re not allowed here,” the soldier is heard saying.

The mother of the family told the soldier it was public space. And in an apparent attempt to say that as Israeli citizens, they are entitled to be present at the site in the West Bank just as they could picnic in the Carmel Mountains within Israel proper, she asked, “Isn’t an Israeli allowed to be in the Carmel Mountains?”

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“You’re in the Carmel Mountains? ”You’re not allowed to be here. Please leave. Come on,” the soldier replied.

There is an unauthorized settlement outpost near the site called Zvi’s Farm, which was partially built on state land and partially on privately owned land.

The Israeli army said it was aware of the incident and will "look into the combatants' conduct."