Illegal Israeli settlers on Thursday assaulted Palestinian sheep shepherds in al-Juwaya community in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, according to a local activist.
A group of settlers assaulted herders close to al-Juwaya, one of the communities making up Masafer Yatta, and chased them away.
Among the assaulted herders was a minor.
Recently, Israeli top court gave the army the green light to forcibly expel some 1,300 Palestinians living in twelve villages or hamlets making up the Masafer Yatta area, which relies heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood, marking one of the largest expulsions carried out by the Israeli occupation in recent decades.
Located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli control, the area has been subjected to repeated Israeli violations by settlers and soldiers targeting their main source of living – livestock.
It has been designated as a closed Israeli military zone for training since 1980s and accordingly referred to as Firing Zone 918.
Israeli violations against the area include demolition of animal barns, homes and residential structures. Issuance of construction permits by Israeli authorities to local Palestinians in the area is non-existent.
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