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Photos: Published by Haaretz
Avishay Mohar in May. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi.

Omar Malihat, one of the Palestinians wounded in an attack by settlers, in May. Credit: David Bachar
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The activist told police in May that settlers had robbed and assaulted him as they were attacking a Palestinian village. Though his lawyer says his stolen laptop has a location app, and the activist provided pictures of the perpetrators and one of their names, police have not reported back to him

by Hagar Shezaf for Haaretz
Jul 17, 2025 5:38 pm IDT

Israel Police has closed an investigation into suspected violence by settlers trying to expel the residents of the Palestinian village of Mughayyir al-Deir, saying they were unable to identify the perpetrators. This is despite the fact that a leftist activist present at the time identified several of them.

Following Haaretz's report, the Israel Police said that they will reopen the case, "to locate the suspects and bring them to justice."

The activist, Avishay Mohar, said that he himself was assaulted and robbed during the incident on May 24 and filed a complaint at the Binyamin police station two days later. His complaint included medical documents, a picture of some of the attackers and the name of one of them. He suggested to the police that they take fingerprints from his car, which the attackers had broken into.

Mohar's lawyer, Riham Nasra, said her client had told police that a laptop stolen from him had a location app that showed it had since been in three different places, but the police had not reported back to him on what they had done with the information. In a letter sent to the police three weeks ago, she said the app showed the computer had been on the Ayalon Highway, at the entrance to an illegal outpost near Mu'arrajat in the central West Bank, and by the Zohar Sabah outpost near Jericho.

The assault reportedly occurred when a group of sheepherders from Mughayyir al-Deir, near Ramallah, were removing their belongings after an outpost had been established nearby. Settlers who arrived at the scene threw stones at the Palestinians and at Mohar. The Palestinians threw stones back at them, wounding a settler, who was taken to a hospital.

During the clashes, the settlers also shot at the Palestinians. Mohar and the Palestinians fled the scene but say the settlers continued throwing stones at them. They also stole cameras, a cellphone, a wallet, a laptop and other items from Mohar.

Eventually, Mohar and the Palestinians gave up running and surrendered, at which point the settlers beat them with rods, clubs and stones. After the assault, the Palestinians were taken to a hospital.