Israeli settlers force Palestinians to abandon village in occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers’ continuous attacks have forced Palestinian residents to abandon a farming village in the occupied northern West Bank.

Media reports on Sunday cited Yanoun residents as saying the repeated attacks and harassment by Israeli settlers forced them to abandon their land.

The village, located 12 kilometers southeast of Nablus, which housed more than 200 residents, is now largely empty, with Israeli settlers having taken control of more than 16 square kilometers of surrounding farmland.

Rashid Murrar, a Yanoun farmer, said the Israeli settlers set up outposts near his village, blocking the roads, stopping much-needed supplies from reaching the city.

“I would plant my fields, only to watch settlers let their livestock graze on and destroy my crops,” Murrar complained.

The Israeli settlers have installed gates on the road, blocking Palestinian residents from returning. They regularly beat up the residents who manage to enter the area.

The Israeli regime forces have misappropriated hundreds of thousands of hectares of Palestinian land since occupying the West Bank in 1967. Israeli settlers living illegally in the West Bank are armed with military-grade weapons, ranging from US-made M16s to pistols and drones.

Israel’s unabated settlement construction activities

The debate over the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is intensifying.

Aiding and abetting the Israeli settlers’ violence against the native population is part of Tel Aviv’s strategy to take over the Palestinian land.

Now, more than 700,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements established since the occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

The Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land are considered illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions.

Even the United Nations Security Council, in multiple resolutions, condemned the Tel Aviv regime’s settlement development.

Despite the international condemnation of the Israeli regime’s settlement expansion, the continuous takeover of Palestinian land and the development of new projects continue.

The unlawful Israeli settlements pose a significant obstacle to Palestinian peace prospects.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir