‘In the days of old, the world was safe’: West Bank family’s enduring unity

Al Jazeera · 🇶🇦 public Qatar · May 08, 2026 · 4895 words · By Al Jazeera Staff

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Human rights violations Settler Violence

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What to know about Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

‘In the days of old, the world was safe’: West Bank family’s enduring unity Resistant and resilient, the Masallam family fight to stay on their land in Palestine’s occupied West Bank.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left20%

Center80%

Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

‘In the days of old, the world was safe’: West Bank family’s enduring unity Resistant and resilient, the Masallam family fight to stay on their land in Palestine’s occupied West Bank.

Why it matters

Khirbet al-Marajim, occupied West Bank — The metal door of the Masallam family home still bears the dents from a settler’s axe.

Common ground

Inside, the smell of freshly made cheese hangs beneath a stone-domed ceiling.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Pity, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Israeli-Palestinian Conflict story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that While returning home one afternoon in 2016, Musa — 80 at the time — crossed the Allon Road... a settler from Kokhav HaShahar... struck him and his donkey with a motorcycle?
How does this story connect Israeli-Palestinian Conflict with Human rights violations over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/5/8/in-the-days-of-old-the-world-was-saf…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 80% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 4

info Single Source 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

cancel Disputed 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

info

Claim 1: “While returning home one afternoon in 2016, Musa — 80 at the time — crossed the Allon Road... a settler from Kokhav HaShahar... struck him and his donkey with a motorcycle”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence mentions Kokhav HaShahar and general accidents involving motorcycles, but there is no specific record in the search results of an 80-year-old man named Musa being struck by a settler from Kokhav HaShahar in 2016.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Kokhav HaShahar was founded by ten young couples in 1980 on the site of an Israel Defense Forces outpost.[3]. According to the Palestinian NGO ARIJ, Israel confiscated land from two villages in order …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokhav_HaShahar

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web search NEUTRAL — “Preliminary investigations suggest that the car, driven by a 24-year-old man, lost control before crashing into the rear of the victims’ motorcycle.
https://worldofbuzz.com/elderly-married-couple-killed-after-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Reuters Daniella Weiss, a veteran settler leader, holds an Israeli flag during a scouting mission to find new hilltops to settle near the Israeli settlement of Kokhav Hashahar, in the occupied West Ba…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-65031877

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Claim 2: “Kokhav HaShahar — a settlement 10 kilometres south, considered illegal under international law”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Kokhav HaShahar is a settlement in the West Bank and that such settlements are considered illegal under international law.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Kokhav HaShahar is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, organized as a community settlement in the Binyamin region. Located on a mountain ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley and accessible…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokhav_HaShahar

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A prime example is the settlement of Kokhav Hashahar. The settlement’s website gives a very brief description of its origins: “In 1975, a Nahal military base was built at the site. It functioned until…
https://www.akevot.org.il/en/article/unraveling-the-system-k…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The settlements are illegal under international law.Daniella Weiss holds an Israeli flag during a scouting mission to find hilltops to settle near the Israeli settlement of Kokhav Hashahar, Israeli-oc…
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-settler-daniella-…

schedule

Claim 3: “the settlers had broken the window glass, breached the room, and taken the two infants into the freezing night”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 4: “on the night of March 14, 2025... about 30 settlers arrived on foot and on ATVs”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding an attack by 30 settlers on ATVs on March 14, 2025.

verified

Claim 5: “Talfit is a Palestinian village about 18 kilometres away in Jenin”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and web search results explicitly confirm that Talfit (or Telfit) is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate of the northern West Bank.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a Timeline of events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict during 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Israeli–Palest…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Palestine State of Palestine. Governorate. Jenin. Government.Telfit (Arabic: تلفيت; or Tilfit) is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine, in the northern West Bank, located southe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talfit,_Jenin

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — GPS coordinates of Talfīt, Palestine.Rawabi (Arabic: روابي Hebrew: רוואבי, meaning "The Hills") is the first planned city built for and by Palestinians. in the West Bank, and is hailed as a "flagship …
https://latitude.to/map/ps/palestine/cities/talfit

+ 1 more evidence source

schedule

Claim 6: “the attackers set fire to the family’s car — and to Muhammad’s house”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 7: “The settlers established the outpost of “Malachei HaShalom”... in 2015, with the Israeli government later legalising it as a settlement in 2023”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (Peace Now and a 'Land Grab' report) confirm the Malachei HaShalom outpost was established in 2015 and legalized as a settlement in 2023.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Malachei HaShalom outpost was established in 2015 adjacent to a military base and developed into a farm outpost that seized thousands of dunams and spawned satellite farm outposts in the area.
https://peacenow.org.il/en/declaration-of-750-dunams-as-stat…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Malachei Hashalom. Outpost established 2015. Settlement legalized 2023.The outposts are illegal under international and Israeli law but often tolerated by the Israeli government. And over time, Israel…
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/20/world/middlee…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Malachei Hashalom: Founded in 1998, the Malachei Hashalom farm has hosted residents since 2016. Located next to the Jewish community of Kochav Hashachar, Malachei Hashalom is home to a number of famil…
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/02/21/israels-legalization-o…

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Claim 8: “the 2015 murder of the Dawabsheh family in nearby Duma by settlers”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

cancel

Claim 9: “from the beginning of 2023 to April 22, 2026, at least 5,879 Palestinians from 116 West Bank communities were forcibly displaced”

DISPUTED

The claim states 5,879 Palestinians from 116 communities were displaced by April 22, 2026. However, a web search result from the UN humanitarian office reports a different figure: 4,765 Palestinians from 97 locations between January 2023 and mid-February 2026.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Between January 2023 and mid-February 2026, at least 4,765 Palestinians from 97 locations, have been displaced by settler violence, the UN's humanitarian office says.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c747x00m83vo

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Six months since Israel's expanded military assault on the refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarem in the northern West Bank, over 42,000 Palestinian refugees remain forcibly displaced and have no stable …
https://www.sott.net/article/500926-The-other-genocide-Israe…

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web search NEUTRAL — “Land Registration = Land Confiscation”. April 22, 2026.For five decades, this approach enabled Israel to bypass the time-consuming registration process and reduce exposure to international criticism …
https://www.jerusalemstory.com/en/article/land-registration-…

schedule

Claim 10: “In the area, three homes were set alight by the settlers”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

cancel

Claim 11: “45 communities erased completely”

DISPUTED

The claim states 45 communities were erased. However, the provided evidence from a web search reports that 'at least 13 rural Palestinian communities' were completely wiped off the map, contradicting the number 45.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — At least 13 rural Palestinian communities in the West Bank were completely wiped off the map. This impacted at least 190 families and 1,090 individuals.
https://mondoweiss.net/2026/01/the-past-year-has-seen-an-unp…

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web search NEUTRAL — Israel's government is accelerating the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. This will bring up the total number approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling c…
https://www.dw.com/en/israel-pushes-illegal-west-bank-settle…

verified

Claim 12: “Al-Marajim lies a kilometre southwest of the main Palestinian town and population centre in the area, Duma, in the central West Bank”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia and web search results confirm Khirbet al-Marajim is a small Palestinian community located south of Nablus/Duma in the West Bank. While the exact 'one kilometer' distance isn't explicitly stated in the snippets, the proximity ('just south of Duma') is corroborated across multiple sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fasayil or Fasa'il (Arabic: فصايل), ancient Phasaelis, is a Palestinian village in the northeastern West Bank, a part of the Jericho Governorate, located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) northwest of Jericho an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasayil

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — During the Gaza war, Israeli forces have carried out multiple ground incursions, occasionally accompanied by airstrikes, into several Palestinian cities and refugee camps in the Israeli-occupied West …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_incursions_in_the_West…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Khirbet al-Marājim (Arabic: خربة المراجم), also spelled Khirbet al-Marājem or Khirbet al-Marjama, is a small Palestinian community located south of Nablus in the northern West Bank. The hamlet lies in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khirbet_al-Marajim

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 13: “The Masallam compound is one of only two full households occupied year-round in all of Khirbet al-Marajim”

SINGLE SOURCE

Web search results confirm Khirbet al-Marajim is a small community/hamlet and that it has been targeted by settlers, but none of the provided evidence specifies the exact number of households occupied year-round or mentions the 'Masallam compound' specifically.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dawabsha pointed out that the IOF declared Khirbet Al-Marajim a closed military zone, and prevented the residents of Doma from offering help to the residents of the village.
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/03/14/335588/

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web search NEUTRAL — They closed the roads connecting Doma to Khirbet al-Marajim and fired live ammunition, tear gas, and sound bombs towards residents who attempted to reach the burning homes to extinguish the flames pro…
https://genocide.live/event/1651

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dozens of settlers have invaded the Palestinian village of Khirbet al Marajim in the central West Bank, setting several homes on fire. The village is near Duma, where a deadly firebombing in 2015 kill…
https://www.geopolitical.report/settlers-torch-homes-in-khir…

help

Claim 14: “In November 2024, a satellite outpost was established less than a kilometre from the Masallam home”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding a satellite outpost established in November 2024 near the Masallam home.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.