Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages and towns in the West Bank are on the rise, often under the protection of the Israeli military. A Palestinian man was reportedly shot in the shoulder during an incursion by a group of settlers into Jabal Beit Our al-Tahta, west of Ramallah. The settlers allegedly attacked Palestinian farmers on their land, with Israeli forces providing cover.
Reports indicate a series of attacks carried out by settlers in various locations across the occupied West Bank. Agricultural lands in Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, were allegedly bulldozed. In the southern Hebron region, settlers reportedly plowed lands east of Khirbet Shaab al-Batm in Masafer Yatta, after seizing them from their Palestinian owners, again under the protection of Israeli forces.
Agricultural equipment was allegedly stolen, and fires were set in lands belonging to the village of Attara, north of Ramallah. Palestinians reportedly confronted settlers attacking the al-Mazar area, east of Mikhmas, north of occupied Jerusalem.
In a separate incident, Israeli forces arrested five Palestinian farmers in the village of Ghuwein, near as-Samu’ south of Hebron, following clashes and chases allegedly stemming from the farmers being prevented from cultivating their land. The area was reportedly closed off, preventing dozens of farmers from accessing their fields.
Israeli forces also detained and interrogated a group of young men during a raid in Anin, west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank. Businesses were reportedly raided, and surveillance cameras were confiscated. Furthermore, Israeli forces stormed Methalon, south of Jenin, raiding and searching homes in the western part of the town.
On the issue of detentions, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Prisoner’s Club stated that Israeli authorities have issued and renewed administrative detention orders against 51 detainees. In a joint statement, they asserted that Israel is escalating the use of administrative detention, citing the existence of “secret files.” Administrative detainees reportedly constitute the highest percentage compared to the number of prisoners held, convicted, or classified as “unlawful combatants.”
