Israel threatens to take even more Palestinian land in occupied West Bank

The Israeli occupation authorities have renewed their threats that they will take even more Palestinian-owned land and farms around the West Bank city of Salfit, Maan news agency reported on Sunday.

The Director of Civil Affairs in Salfit, Usama Musleh, said that the Israelis had renewed the expropriation warrants distributed to the Palestinian farmers in the area. He noted that the Israeli occupation army takes the same measures with Palestinian land near the illegal Israeli settlements, before taking it off its rightful owners.

“Israeli forces use these lands for a period between four and six years,” he told Maan. “Then they annex them to the settlements.” He noted that the renewal of the latest expropriation warrants will expire on 31 December 2022.

Salfit Governor Abdullah Komeel said that they would not stay silent regarding the Israeli expropriation of hundreds of acres of Palestinian land across the neighbourhoods and villages around the city. He called for the Palestinians to cooperate with the official measures decided by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas intended to counter the Israeli theft of their land.

The Secretary General of the Union of the Palestinian Farmers, Jammal Hammad, added, “We must not keep silent regarding this measure, as well as regarding all of the other Israeli practices against the Palestinian farmers.” He pointed out that the Israeli occupation forces also prevent many of the farmers from getting to their farms, while illegal Jewish settlers have escalated their attacks against farmers trying to harvest their olives.

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