By Rana Abu Farha

A wave of local and international solidarity has been expressed in support of the Palestinian Christian Nassar family after masked men attacked them.

German’s head of the diplomatic mission in Ramallah Oliver Owcza visited the Nassar’s on Monday in their hospital in Bethlehem. The family later told Maghtas.com that the German diplomat expressed solidarity with Daher and Daoud Nassar who were attacked with sharp objects last Friday, January 28^th. (see the story about it here)>

The German diplomat called for the need to hold those responsible for the attack accountable.

A representative of the US embassy also called the family expressing solidarity and calling for justice and accountability.

On Monday night also the head of the village council in Nahalin Salah Fanoun and other members of the council as well as leaders of national forces visited the Nassar family at the hospital. The leaders from the village denounced the attack.

Nassar family members also said that they have received a lot of local and international support for the third day. All the callers are demanding the arrest of the attackers and the resolution of the land dispute.

Below are some of the solidarity statements issued in support of the Nassar family:

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) calls for prayer for Nassar Family and Tent of Nations

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) calls for prayer for the Nassar Family and the Tent of Nations after yesterday’s horrific incident. On the afternoon of January 28th, a large group of masked men carrying sticks and iron bars attacked Daoud and Daher Nassar when Daoud was feeding the chickens. A friend of the Tent of Nations witnessed the attack, and the attackers fled when they saw her.

CMEP staff met with Daoud and family members at the hospital after the incident. Daoud suffered head wounds and had surgery including several stitches. Daoud and Daher’s bodies were significantly bruised and with lacerations. Neither had broken bones, and neither had a concussion. They are expected to be discharged from Bethlehem Hospital today.

It is believed –though not yet confirmed– the attack was perpetrated by Palestinian residents of the neighboring village. CMEP affirms the rights of the Nassar Family to their land and condemns all forms of violence including threats and actions from both Palestinians and neighboring settlement communities. CMEP’s executive director says: “We are devastated to hear the news of the attack on Daoud and Daher. The Nassar family embodies holistic peacebuilding in profound ways, even suffering physical threats to their own lives and safety. Over and over again they seek peace with their neighbors despite decades of demolitions, threats, and attacks. CMEP and I personally are doing everything we can to keep the US government informed and to call on the Palestinian Authority to enact the rule of law in response to the perpetrators of this vicious attack.”  

The organic farm is known as the Tent of Nations or ‘Daher’s Vineyard’ has been owned by the Nassar Family since the time of the Ottoman Empire. The land stretches one hundred acres and is situated 9k southwest of Bethlehem. Since 1991, the family has been fighting a legal battle to keep a hold of the land since it was classified as ‘Israeli State Land’ and thus threatened with confiscation. The struggle is ongoing and there remains a pending case related to registration on May 2, 2022. As a Christian Palestinian family, the motto of the Tent of Nations continues to be “We Refuse to Be Enemies” and through a commitment to peaceful resistance and solidarity with those who have visited, much has been achieved. Tent of Nations continues to work to protect and develop the farm as a place where people can meet, learn, work together, and inspire one another.

CMEP stands with the Tent of Nations. We call for your prayers and will continue to keep people informed about the most effective ways to advocate.

World Methodist Council Condemns

The World Methodist Council (WMC) condemns the recent attack on the Nassar family by 15 masked men from Nahaleen, an Arab village. Last week, Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) and their staff were violently assaulted by settlers while accompanying Palestinian farmers planting “trees for peace” near Burin, east of Nablus in the West Bank.

On Friday, 28 January, the Nassar Family recipients of the World Methodist Peace Award for their work with the globally recognized Tent of Nations project hosted on their 100-acre farm were victims of an attack. The Nassar brothers Daoud and Daher required medical attention at the local hospital and are recuperating at home.

The WMC condemns all acts of violence and stands in solidarity with the Nassar family and all Palestinians who experience systemic violence, discrimination, and land expropriation.

For the past 70 years, the WMC has issued declarations and resolutions to bring about peace in this troubled region. We reaffirm our commitment to work with all parties to secure a just peace in Palestine and Israel.

Issued by the WMC General Secretary, Ivan Abrahams