"Israel’s" Brutality Escalated against PA Villages

Local Editor

"Israel" destroyed Tuesday a mosque in the south al-Khalil [Hebron] hills, bulldozed a two-story home in East al-Quds, demolished agricultural infrastructure southeast of Nablus, and settlers uprooted and stole about 200 olive trees in a village west of Bethlehem.

According to witnesses, the "Israeli" army prevented residents from collecting books and other items from the al-Mafqara mosque, east of the town of Yatta, before razing it for the second time since 2011.
Local activist Rateb al-Jabour told the Wafa news agency that "Israeli" soldiers forced worshippers out of the mosque at dawn to clear the land for the expansion of two settlements, "Avijal and Maon".

"Israel" has routinely destroyed Palestinian homes and property in the West Bank throughout occupation, but the policy appears to have been exacerbated since its announcement on Friday to expand settlements by 3,000 outposts.
This comes as "Israel" announced it was withholding $120 million in Palestinian funds, several days after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to upgrade the status.

Nations have rebuked "Israel" over its decision to expand the settlements, with Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Sweden, Egypt and Denmark summoning their "Israeli" ambassadors over the news. Germany and Russia have also urged Israel to reconsider its plans, and the United States offered a mild criticism of the land grab, calling it "unhelpful."
In occupied East al-Quds, "Israel" bulldozed a two-story home in the neighborhood of Jabal Zeitoun that belonged to Mohammed Abu al-Hawa. "Israel" claimed it demolished the house for being built without a permit, Wafa cited local sources as saying.

In the village of Khirbet al-Taweel, southeast of Nablus, "Israel's" military surrounded a plot of agricultural land and began destroying structures, to expand illegal settlements in the area, the Palestinian news agency added.
Meanwhile, about 200 Palestinian olive trees were uprooted by settlers as Zionist soldiers stood by in the village of al-Jabaa, west of Bethlehem. An official from village said that the land belongs to Ibrahim Hamdan, and that settlers used a bulldozer to uproot and steal the trees, claiming the land as their own.

"Israel" has destroyed about 2.5 million olive trees in the West Bank since 1967, costing Palestinian farmers about $55 million in losses per year, according to a 2011 study by the PA Ministry of National Economy.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org