The recent attack by Israeli settlers on Star Mountain (Sternberg) Support Center near Ramallah is a disturbing reminder that Palestinian communities and institutions face growing threats, even when their work is dedicated to caring for the most vulnerable. At the same time, restrictions on Palestinian movement and renewed attacks on human rights organizations reveal a broader pattern of insecurity and pressure on Palestinian society.
An Attack on a Place of Care
On October 9, a group of Israeli settlers broke into Star Mountain Support Center, damaging its fence. The center, operated by partners of the Moravian Church, provides essential services to approximately 100 children and young people with intellectual disabilities.
The damage did not end there. When the center’s farmer returned on October 11, he discovered that the greenhouse had been severely vandalized. Tarpaulins had been slashed, plants uprooted, and irrigation pipelines destroyed, suggesting that another break-in had occurred the previous day.
These were not merely acts of property damage. Star Mountain is a place of care, education, and support for children and young people who need a safe environment. As Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land warned, the psychological harm caused by such attacks is as serious as the physical destruction. If those who attend and work at the center can no longer feel safe, its essential services may be jeopardized.
Bishop Haddad called on international governments and faith leaders to take immediate and decisive action to protect the center and uphold Palestinians’ right to live in peace and safety.
The attack also reflects a wider pattern of settler violence around Ramallah, where Palestinian homes, agricultural land, and institutions face growing threats. No community is exempt, including Christian communities and institutions. When a center serving children with disabilities becomes a target, the consequences extend far beyond damaged fences and destroyed crops. The very possibility of providing care in a safe environment is put at risk.
Movement Controlled by Military Orders
The insecurity facing Palestinians extends beyond direct physical attacks. Their daily lives are also shaped by restrictions on movement that can leave thousands of people stranded on the roads.
According to a recent report by Ma’an news, the Israeli military closes the Beit El checkpoint, also known as the DCO checkpoint, to Palestinian vehicles in both directions at 4:00 p.m. This coincides with the evening rush hour, when thousands of residents are leaving Ramallah and Al-Bireh to return to their homes.
The result is severe congestion at the city’s entrances, with vehicles backed up for hours as traffic is diverted towards other checkpoints. The restrictions raise serious questions about the necessity and proportionality of measures that repeatedly disrupt Palestinian movement.
The DCO checkpoint reportedly operated around the clock before October 2023, but its current operating hours are determined by military orders. Ma’an’s reporting also describes incidents in which settlers have intercepted and attacked Palestinian vehicles on the roads, particularly at night. Yet, rather than ensuring protection and accountability, the closure of the road at 4:00 p.m. places an additional burden on Palestinian commuters.
For Palestinians, these restrictions are not simply a matter of traffic delays. They affect access to work, education, healthcare, and family life, reinforcing the uncertainty that shapes everyday existence under occupation.
An Assault on Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders
The pressures on Palestinian society have also intensified through direct attacks on organizations that provide services, document violations, and defend human rights.
On October 13, Israeli forces raided offices they identified as belonging to the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association in Ramallah. They also entered the courtyard of the Palestine Medical Complex, the largest public medical facility in the West Bank. Equipment, furniture, and files were confiscated, access to the medical complex was restricted, and journalists covering the operation were reportedly assaulted.
At the premises identified as Addameer’s offices, Israeli forces left a notice declaring the organization an illegal entity and accusing it of supporting terrorism. Addameer is a prominent Palestinian organization that works to defend prisoners’ rights and document abuses in detention. The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, meanwhile, had reportedly closed its Ramallah offices and ceased operations there in 2022, raising further questions about the purpose of targeting its premises.
These raids did not occur in isolation. In 2021, Israel designated six Palestinian civil society organizations, including Addameer and Al-Haq, as terrorist organizations under its domestic legislation, allegations that the organizations and international human rights experts have strongly challenged. Their offices were raided in 2022, and more recently, Palestinian human rights organizations have faced further arrests, sanctions, and restrictions.
The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council has warned that these measures threaten the ability of civil society to document violations and pursue accountability. When organizations that collect evidence, defend prisoners, and protect vulnerable communities are targeted, the consequences extend beyond individual institutions. The ability of Palestinian society to defend its rights and seek justice is weakened.
A Call for Protection and Accountability
Taken together, the attack on Star Mountain, the restrictions on movement around Ramallah, and the raids against Palestinian civil society reveal different dimensions of the same crisis: the growing insecurity experienced by Palestinians and the erosion of the institutions that sustain their communities.
A center serving children with disabilities should never have to fear attacks on its premises. People returning home from work should not face arbitrary restrictions that leave them stranded for hours. Human rights defenders should be able to document abuses without facing raids, confiscations, or criminalization for their work.
International governments, churches, and human rights institutions and activists must move beyond expressions of concern. They should press for the protection of vulnerable communities and civil society organizations, demand accountability for attacks, and ensure that humanitarian and human rights work can continue without intimidation. One quick action that will make a difference is supporting Community Peacemaker Teams either as a volunteer or by making a donation. We need activists from all over the world on the ground here to document and provide protective presence.
Protecting Star Mountain means protecting more than a single institution. It means defending the dignity of children and young people with disabilities, the safety of Palestinian communities, and the right of those who speak for the vulnerable to continue their work.
A society cannot flourish when its places of care are attacked, its roads are restricted, and its human rights defenders are silenced.