Under Siege: Palestinian Father Turns Home into Electrified Fortress to Protect Family from Settler Attacks
In the occupied West Bank town of Al-Mughayyir, Abdul Latif Abu Alia installs electrified wire around his home to shield his children from escalating Israeli settler violence.
Watan-In Al-Mughayyir, a village east of Ramallah in the central West Bank, Abdul Latif Abu Alia (54) has turned his family home into a fortified enclosure, surrounded by electrified barbed wire, in a desperate attempt to protect his children from repeated Israeli settler attacks.
His house, located on the town’s eastern edge, has been attacked numerous times.
“In every settler raid, my family is nearly wiped out,” Abu Alia says.
Last year, a young man was killed inside the home, and cars were torched—an event that pushed him to seek any means to secure his family.
He spent $3,000 USD, money he had hoped to use to build a garden for his children, on the barbed wire.
“My kids deserve a playground, but protection comes first.”
While his children play in the yard, he notes:“They don’t know fear—they belong here. But danger is always near; the settlers are just meters away.”
Nearby, settlers roam freely with their cattle, damaging farmland and claiming territory.
Daily Terror and Home as a Prison
Abu Alia is now unable to access even his own olive groves, as venturing out is met with gunfire from settlers.
“They tell us no Palestinian is welcome here.”
Determined to stay, he clings to his home, armed only with faith and piles of stones on his rooftop.
“These rocks are our only weapons.”
The walls of his house bear bullet marks, and when the Israeli army discovered his electrified fence, they interrogated him and photographed the site.
“The warning signs are to keep out stray dogs, wild pigs… and settlers,” he explains.
“Whether they permit it or not, I have no other choice. The occupation doesn’t want any of us here.”
Al-Mughayyir: A Village Under Siege
According to Mayor Amin Abu Alia, several homes have now been encircled with wire in response to daily settler raids.
“We’ve lost count of the attacks. They happen day and night.”
Since October 7, 2023, six new Israeli settler outposts have surrounded the village, tightening the blockade.
“All roads are closed except one, and they built a settler outpost next to it.”
Al-Mughayyir once held 43,000 dunams (43 sq. km) of land; now just 980 dunams remain under Palestinian control.
Organized Settler Violence
The mayor warns that the settlers are trained and often Israeli army veterans, launching coordinated and armed raids.
“Residents in the outer areas have caged themselves in wire prisons to protect their children.”
He adds:“Imagine building a prison for your family, where children wake not to gardens—but to barbed wire.”
According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, May alone saw 415 settler attacks across the West Bank, ranging from armed assaults, arson, and land seizures to roadblocks and live executions.
Broader Context: War on Two Fronts
Amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has escalated.
At least 973 Palestinians have been killed, around 7,000 injured, and over 17,000 arrested, according to Palestinian data.
Backed by unconditional U.S. support, Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in over 179,000 casualties—mostly women and children—with more than 11,000 missing and hundreds of thousands displaced.
