Illegal Israeli settlers demolish 47 structures in occupied West Bank over a week

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Illegal Israeli settlers demolished 47 agricultural structures and homes last week in the Taybe area in the west of Hebron in the southern West Bank.

The destruction was discovered by the Palestinians upon their return to their properties after being barred from accessing them by Israeli forces since early September, following a shooting incident that killed three police officers near the Turmus Ayya checkpoint.

Mohammed Tneina, one of the Palestinians affected by the demolitions, reported extensive damage to his home, his grape vineyard, and a water tank used for irrigation.

“Illegal settlers took advantage of the Israeli military’s closure of roads leading to the Taybe area to carry out these acts of vandalism and destruction,” he shared.

Tneina pointed out that the affected structures were licensed by the Turmus Ayya municipality, yet the Israeli occupation forces regularly prevent farmers from accessing their lands.

He noted that illegal settlers from the illegal Adora and Tene settlements, located east of Turmus Ayya, are responsible for such attacks on farmers.

According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, illegal settlers have killed 19 Palestinians, injured over 785 others, and displaced 28 Bedouin communities since October 7, 2023.

In May, the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem revealed a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to expel Palestinian farmers and shepherds from their land in the occupied West Bank, in collaboration with illegal settlers. This was described as part of an “Israeli apartheid system.”

Israeli estimates suggest that over 720,000 illegal settlers live in settlements across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Tensions have intensified throughout the occupied West Bank as Israel continues its war on Gaza, having killed over 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since last October 7.

At least 691 individuals have been killed and more than 5,700 injured by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank during the same period, according to the Health Ministry.