Israeli settlers establish illegal outpost in Nablus

Israeli settlers set up ten caravans as part of an illegal outpost on private Palestinian land in occupied Nablus yesterday morning, Ma’an news agency reported.

According to Ghasan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the north of the occupied West Bank, the caravans were parked in an area known as Al-Khafafish on the outskirts of the village of Jalud.

Read: Israel plans expansion of Jerusalem to include nearby settlements

The land had reportedly been levelled a few weeks earlier in preparation for the a settlement of Shvut Rachel East, which had been sanctioned by the Israeli government under the justification of providing for residents displaced from Amona, another illegal settler outpost.

Shvut Rachel East would connect to already existing Israeli settlements, such as Shvut Rahil, according to Daghlas.

#Settlement

In March, the Israeli government approved the first officially authorised settlement since 1993 called Amichai. In June, the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics found that settlement building had risen by 70 per cent in the past year, with numerous construction plans on the horizon.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law and have been pinpointed as major obstacles to Middle East peace.