RAMALLAH, West Bank — On the evening of March 10, Israeli soldiers prevented Issam Abu Yaacoub, mayor of Kifl Haris, a village located in Salfit governorate in the northern West Bank, from accessing his village through the main street and demanded he take a bypass road because the settlers had raided the village.

Each time the settlers raid the village, the Israeli army imposes a total curfew and deploys a large number of soldiers and vehicles in preparation for the entry of settlers that lasts until dawn. 

Kifl Haris has 4,500 residents and stretches over a surface area of ​​about 10,000 dunams (2,471 acres). It accommodates three prominent Muslim shrines, namely the shrine of Prophet Dhu al-Kifl, the shrine of Yusha ibn Nun and the shrine of Dhul-Nun (Prophet Jonah). The three shrines date back to the period of Salahuddin al-Ayoubi and are characterized by the Islamic architectural style of the domes and prayer niches.

Abu Yaacoub told Al-Monitor that the settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, have raided the village for years; every time they do so, the soldiers are deployed in the streets and on the roofs of houses to protect the settlers.