Report: 1,872 Attacks Carried Out by the Occupation and Its Settlers Last January

SadaNews - The head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Minister Muayid Shaaban, stated that the Israeli occupation forces and settlers carried out a total of 1,872 attacks during January, continuing the systematic terrorism practiced by the occupation state against our Palestinian people, lands, and properties.

Shaaban explained in the commission's monthly report titled "Violations of the Occupation and Expansionist Procedures" that the occupation army executed 1,404 attacks, while settlers conducted 468 attacks.

These attacks were mainly concentrated in Hebron Governorate with 415 attacks, followed by Ramallah and Al-Bireh with 374 attacks, then Nablus with 328 attacks, and Jerusalem with 201 attacks, indicating a clear intensification of systematic targeting in these areas.

Shaaban indicated that these assaults took various forms, including direct physical violence, uprooting trees, burning fields, preventing farmers from accessing their lands, and seizing properties, in addition to demolishing homes and agricultural facilities.

He pointed out that these practices are accompanied by the closure of large areas of Palestinian land by the occupation forces under the pretext of "security," while providing protection and enabling settlers to expand within these lands.

Forced Displacement of Bedouin Communities Due to Settler Terrorism

Shaaban noted that the settler attacks, which amounted to 468, were at their peak of settler terrorism targeting Palestinian villages and Bedouin communities, concentrated in Hebron Governorate with 124 attacks, Nablus with 123 attacks, and Ramallah with 80 attacks by settlers.

He stated that these attacks led to the displacement of 125 Palestinian families from three Bedouin communities, the largest being the Sha'allah Al-Auja community, which was completely displaced due to a series of terrorist assaults by armed settlers, adding a serious crime to the terrorism crimes sponsored by the occupation state, in addition to the displacement of four families around Birzeit town and one family near Attara village north of Ramallah.

Moreover, the settlers carried out 349 acts of vandalism and theft of Palestinian properties, affecting vast areas of land, as their assaults, executed with the help of the occupation army, led to the uprooting, destruction, and poisoning of 1,245 olive trees, with 750 trees in Hebron, 245 in Ramallah, and 250 in Nablus, while the occupation destroyed 151,000 tobacco seedlings belonging to citizens in Jenin Governorate.

Shaaban confirmed that these data reaffirm that what is happening is not random attacks, but a systematic policy of forced displacement executed through settler terrorism under direct protection from the occupation state, aiming to empty the land from its owners and dismantle the Palestinian presence in Bedouin communities.

He added that the displacement of families and destruction of properties, land, and trees constitutes a compounded crime against humans and places, and is an inseparable part of a gradual annexation project managed through intensified terrorism that has not subsided despite the clear crimes and ongoing condemnation from countries around the world.

Attempt to Establish 9 New Settlements

He noted that settlers attempted to establish 9 new settlements since the beginning of January, predominantly agricultural and pastoral in nature, distributed in an effort to establish two outposts in each of Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, and one outpost in Jerusalem Governorate.

Shaaban affirmed that the escalation of attempts to establish settlement outposts recently can only be under clear instructions from the political leadership of the occupation state aimed at imposing facts on the ground and further fragmenting Palestinian geography, as settlers undertake the task of effecting changes on the ground, which are then converted into a fait accompli by the official level through legitimization, consolidation, and transforming it into a settlement site that benefits from all services.

Seizure of 744 Dunams of Citizens' Lands

Shaaban stated that the occupation authorities seized 744 dunams of citizens' lands during January through a series of military orders via expropriation orders and state land orders, indicating that the occupation authorities issued expropriation orders for military purposes in Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin Governorates, seizing through them 50 dunams to construct a settlement road west of Ramallah and expand another security road on lands in Nablus and Jenin Governorates.

Additionally, the occupation seized 694 dunams of land from Qalqilya and Salfit Governorates to establish a new settlement called "Dorot" under the state land declaration.

Shaaban confirmed that these announcements come at a critical political moment where legislations, structural plans, and seizure decisions coincide with colonial tenders, forming a complete system aimed at imposing irreversible facts on the ground according to the occupation narrative, transforming the occupation from a temporary situation into a permanent coercive sovereignty system.

Demolition of 126 Facilities and Notification of 40 Others to Be Demolished

He pointed out that during November, the occupation authorities executed 59 demolition operations targeting 126 facilities, including 77 inhabited houses, 6 uninhabited houses, 37 agricultural facilities, and 4 income sources, concentrating in Jerusalem Governorate with 45 facilities, Hebron with 21 facilities, Ramallah and Al-Bireh with 10 facilities, then Bethlehem Governorate with the demolition of 8 facilities, among others.

Shaaban explained that the occupation authorities distributed 40 notifications to demolish Palestinian facilities, continuing the series of restrictions on Palestinian construction and the natural growth of Palestinian villages and towns, manifested these days with a significant increase in demolition operations.

The notifications concentrated in Hebron Governorate with 10 notifications, 7 notifications in each of Jerusalem and Qalqilya, 5 notifications in each of Bethlehem and Nablus, and one notification in Jenin.

Study of 21 Structural Plans for Settlements

Shaaban stated that planning authorities in the occupation state studied a total of 21 structural plans for settlements in the West Bank and within the boundaries of the occupied municipality in Jerusalem during the observed month, with 12 structural plans for settlements in the West Bank, and 9 plans for settlements within the boundaries of the occupied municipality in Jerusalem.

He added that the municipality of the occupation in Jerusalem approved 3 structural plans concerning settlements in Jerusalem and submitted 6 additional plans for subsequent approval, amounting to 1,266 settlement units, over an area estimated at 120 dunams of citizens' lands.

Meanwhile, planning authorities affiliated with the civil administration studied 12 structural plans for West Bank settlements, with 7 structural plans approved, and 5 another plans submitted for subsequent approval, aiming to build a total of 1,463 settlement units, 820 units of which have received approval for construction, and 643 units have been submitted for subsequent approval, over an area of 2,632 dunams of citizens' lands.

Furthermore, Shaaban added that the maps attached to the structural plans showed the state's approval for the establishment of a new industrial area over an area of 788 dunams of citizens' lands in Tulkarem Governorate, specifically on the lands of the villages of Al-Ras, Shufa, and Far’un in Tulkarem Governorate (see the accompanying map). The danger of the new settlement/industrial zone, which the occupation labeled as "Bustan HaYafet" lies in that it creates a new colonial extension added to the colonial expansion of "Afni HaYafet" to the east of the settlement, extending to the 1967 borders, further fragmenting Palestinian geography to dissolve borders in favor of colonial sites.