Days of Palestine – Nablus
A horde of extremist Jewish settlers on Monday set up a settlement outpost on Mount Sebaih in Beita town, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
Eyewitnesses said that settlers spread on the top of the mount before embarking on deploying tents and prefabricated homes.
The same settlers had tried several times before to take over the mount through deploying tents or mobile homes, but local residents always intervened and managed to force them to leave the area.
At the beginning of last March, the town of Beita saw a round of confrontations with Israeli soldiers after local residents flocked to the area to protect Mount Sebaih and Mount Armeh. Two Palestinians were shot dead and many others suffered injuries during those events.
Meanwhile, another group of settlers on the same day deployed a tent and a makeshift fence around it on Mount al-Nijma in Jalud village, southeast of Nablus.
Local official Ghassan Daghlas expressed concern that the settlers would establish a new outpost on the mount, which he said is encircled by olive groves.
Mount al-Nijma is located in an area classified by the Israeli occupation army as a security zone and local villagers cannot reach it without permits.
Last week, the Israeli army prevented the local authority in Jalud village from building an agricultural road for farmers to enable them to reach their lands easily and confiscated an excavator from the site.
Settler violence has long since become part of Palestinians’ daily life under occupation. Israeli security forces enable these actions, which result in Palestinians casualties – injuries and fatalities – as well as damage to land and property.
In some cases, they even serve as an armed escort, or even join in the attacks. Investigations, if even opened, are usually closed with no action taken against perpetrators as part of an undeclared policy of leniency.
The long-term effect of this violence is the dispossession of Palestinians from increasing parts of the West Bank, making it easier for Israel to take over land and resources.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=8181
