Israel confiscates more land in Hebron and Bethlehem

Yesterday Israeli occupation forces notified the Palestinian residents of Al-Dairat town, east of Yatta in the West Bank, that thousands of acres of their land will be seized to construct a new road that will service the region’s illegal settlements.

According to the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Hebron, Ratib Jabour, “the so-called Israeli planning authority has distributed maps to Al-Dairat’s residents, showing the new street that will divide the village into two parts. As a result, dozens of Palestinian homes, considered by the Israeli authorities outside the planning chart, will be demolished. The authorities notified the residents that thousands of acres of their private lands will be confiscated to complete the road.”

Jabour denounced Israel’s assaults against the Palestinians and their properties and appealed to national, humanitarian and international authorities to pressure the Israeli government to retreat from its unilateral actions, which contradict with international laws and customs.

Meanwhile, the Israeli bulldozers razed agricultural lands in Al-Khader village south of Bethlehem. According to Ahmed Salah, the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Al-Khader, “the Israeli bulldozers have razed at least ten acres of the village’s agricultural lands in Batin Almasi area, south of the town, which belongs to Salah family.”

Salah explained that, “the Israeli authorities aim to expand Htmar settlement to connect it with the Gush Etzion settlements bloc.”