Masallam family in Khirbet al-Marajim face escalating settler violence and threatened displacement
Masallam family in Khirbet al-Marajim face escalating settler violence, arson and demolitions that threaten their olive groves, livestock and ability to remain on ancestral land.
The Masallam family in Khirbet al-Marajim have endured repeated attacks, arson and intimidation that have turned a multigenerational farming life into a daily struggle to remain on their hilltop home. Settler violence and restrictive security measures have damaged homes, destroyed a family car and forced the Masallams to confine their flocks, undermining their harvests and income. Children and elders sleep under the same stone dome where memories of safer years coexist with fears of renewed incursions.
Attack on the family compound
On the night of March 14, 2025, roughly 30 settlers arrived at the Masallam compound on foot and by ATV, setting a vehicle and one house alight and smashing windows across the compound. Two infants were taken from a burning house and abandoned minutes later after local men chased the attackers, a scene that left the family traumatised. The Israeli military, which relatives say had been staged nearby before the assault, arrived only after the attackers left.
Death of patriarch Musa and loss of access
The family traces a turning point to 2016 when patriarch Musa was fatally struck while returning from Duma, an incident the Masallams say went unpunished and after which they were barred from the nearby hill. The name Musa now recurs in the household as two grandchildren carry his name, a testament to his place in family memory. Restrictions on movement and access to the land have compounded both emotional loss and practical limitations on grazing and harvesting.
Economic damage to olive groves and flocks
The Masallams’ olive trees and wheat fields have suffered chronic damage from settler incursion and cattle released onto their terraces, shrinking a previously productive olive oil yield from roughly 1,000 litres to a fraction of that. With grazing restricted by fear of theft and attack, the family now pays far more for animal feed and keeps most sheep penned, a shift that has made shepherding economically unsustainable. The collapse in harvest income and rising costs have put the family on the brink of forced sale and displacement.
Local outpost growth and alleged coordination with security forces
The settlers established a nearby outpost, Malachei HaShalom, in 2015; it was later formalised as a settlement in 2023, according to the family’s account. Satellite outposts and increased settler activity since late 2024 have coincided with roadblocks, military closures and, in one instance, the demolition of a neighbouring multigenerational home by the Civil Administration. The Masallams report repeated episodes in which soldiers arrive alongside settlers or stand by while settler violence occurs, deepening their sense of vulnerability and lack of redress.
Daily life, traditions and resilience
Despite the pressure, daily routines persist: women curdle milk into baladi cheese in the courtyard, elders hum folk refrains, and children kick a football in the compound when it is safe to do so. These rituals anchor the household emotionally and economically, even as laughter mixes with an awareness of perpetual threat. The family describes music, tea, and shared meals as acts of resistance that preserve identity and cohesion amid ongoing harassment.
Recent escalations and displacement risk
In early 2026 the situation intensified with roadblocks to Duma, a monthlong closed military zone that expelled Israeli activists who had provided protective presence, and orders affecting animal enclosures and archaeological designations the family fears may be used to justify further demolitions. Several relatives briefly relocated for safety, and the Masallams say the pattern of harassment — beatings, arrests, and property destruction — has translated into sustained pressure to leave. The family’s accounts mirror broader displacement trends reported across West Bank communities.
The Masallams assert they will remain on their land despite the escalating pressures. “They want to break me to break the family,” said one member, who described a pattern of attacks aimed at humiliation and loss of livelihood. For now, the stone-domed room where the family gathers, the courtyard where cheese is made and the slope dotted with olive stumps stand as both proof of what has been lost and a locus for continuing resistance.