In the line of fire
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Last update - 14:27 12/09/2008
Burin's residents endure mortar shells and arsonists from the settlements of Yitzhar and Bracha, who set their homes and groves ablaze. Meanwhile, the army and police stand idly by
By Gideon Levy
The most important place in the village of Burin is the fire station. There aren't a lot of other villages in the West Bank with such a well-equipped station - a fire engine, uniforms, boots, helmets and hoses. The firefighters are often called to put out the fires that are regularly set by settlers, in the village and the olive groves nearby. The surrounding landscape is black, sooty and burned. Thousands of fruit trees are wilting; one house recently needed renovation from the damage caused by a late-night fire.
The fire station commander, Fadi Khader, a young man dressed in a camouflage uniform, takes a look at his calendar: The last fire in the village was on September 3, at 4:15 P.M. Construction equipment was set ablaze at the site of the new house that Abd al-Karim, a village resident, is building for himself.
We visited Burin exactly 10 years ago and tried to accompany the frightened farmers to their plots of olive trees. We had just arrived there when rioters arrived from the settlement of Yitzhar, screaming and threatening us with weapons. Even the Israel Defense Forces troops that were called to the scene were forced to desist due to the threats and rifles.
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