The violence of apartheid in the West Bank is more than just physical—it’s mental and systemic. An International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteer – let’s calls him Ameer – revelead that when stationed in Ibziq in mid-August, he experienced a harrowing moment that revealed the scale of trauma Palestinian communities endure daily.
A Night of Terror
At around 8 p.m., a convoy of at least eight Israeli soldiers in dune-buggy-style military vehicles descended upon the village. Clad in complete combat gear—including balaclavas, body armor, and laser-sighted assault rifles—they began a campaign of intimidation: patrolling school grounds, tampering with water lines, blocking access roads, and threatening destruction.
After breaching a family home, Ameer and his ISM colleague emerged with their hands raised, identifying themselves and invoking international law—yet they were met not with understanding, but violence. Ameer’s partner was dragged down, punched, and had sand cruelly thrust into his eyes and mouth. When Ameer attempted to document the scene, soldiers swung into action with terrifying precision: rifle lasers danced across his body, finally lining up at his groin—a chilling instance of targeting that has become a normalized tactic.
Ameer was forced to his knees at gunpoint, shoved face-down, his arm twisted painfully behind his back, his phone seized, and struck on the head. Witnessing the fear in the eyes of Palestinians who might live this ordeal daily reframed intellectual concerns about decolonization into something urgent and visceral.
‘Protective Presence’: A Risky Intervention
ISM’s role—to physically accompany threatened Palestinians and document violations—is straightforward in concept, but perilous in execution. Volunteers act visibly, knowing each act of solidarity can provoke violence. Ameer and his partner’s ordeal, intended as a brief glimpse into systemic oppression, revealed only a fraction of the week-in, week-out terror that Palestinians face under occupation.
Beyond Physical Assault—The Omnipresent Threat of Psychological Warfare
This incident is not isolated. It’s part of a broader strategy of psychological domination—instilling fear through uncertainty, surprise raids, and aggression. Palestinians live under the constant dread of attacks from both military and settlers who enjoy de facto impunity. Indeed, several recent documented incidents echo this trauma:
- Mughayyir al-Deir (West Bank), Palestinian families were pursued, beaten, robbed, and hospitalized after a violent settler attack—some children among them. Soldiers intervened briefly but ultimately allowed the assault to continue, raising serious concerns of state collusion in ethnic cleansing efforts.
- Hamdan Ballal, an Oscar-winning Palestinian director, being attacked by settlers and beaten by IDF soldiers in March 2025 in Susya. He was detained for over 20 hours, blindfolded, and assaulted—his international acclaim did not shield him from brutality.
- In June 2025, Israeli forces blocked media access to several West Bank villages where Oscar-winning filmmakers sought to document settler violence—a stark statement on transparency and repression.
These examples underscore that daily life for Palestinians isn’t marked by intermittent violence—it is defined by it, through repeated raids, brutality, displacement, and the ever-present fear of arbitrary force.
From a Personal Encounter to a Collective Reality
What Ameer endured was harrowing—but it was a mere snapshot of a systemic reality: the lived experience of Palestinians under occupation is continually shaped by fear, aggression, and dehumanization. Ameer’s brief exposure transformed academic commitment into an embodied reckoning.
To dismantle oppression, we must move beyond distant criticism. We must listen, bear witness, and, where possible, stand in solidarity—transforming empathy into action.
Note: The ISM volunteer has requested anonymity in order to continue engaging in direct action and the documentation of human rights violations without retribution.
Source: First published in Mondoweiss
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