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Israel settlers steal Palestinian land south of Bethlehem

January 29, 2019 at 9:34 am

Israeli settlers gather next to their flag on a rooftop of a house in the West Bank on 12 June 2018 [Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images]

Israeli Jewish settlers have stolen about 40 dunams (9.9 acres) of the Palestinian land south of the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, Quds Press reported yesterday.

Reporting Palestinian sources, Quds Press said that the stolen land is part of the Palestinian village of Iskariya, which is located in the middle of the illegal Israeli Jewish settlement block of Gosh Etzion.

The sources said that the Jewish settlers cultivated part of the stolen land and planted trees. The settlers, who killed a Palestinian and wounded dozens early this week near Ramallah, prevented the Palestinians from approaching the land.

READ: Israel plans settlement expansion that ‘would surround Bethlehem’

Head of the Village Council Mohammed Ibrahim said that the Palestinian villagers “were surprised” by the settlers’ actions.

According to Ibrahim, the land is owned by a Palestinian family from the village who have all the documents necessary to prove their ownership. They will be seeking legal action, he added.