Extremist settlers begin building new outpost near Jericho

Extremist settlers today began establishing a new settlement outpost near Al-Auja Spring, based north of the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank.

A member of the Popular Resistance Committees in the Jordan Valley, Ayman Gharib, informed the Wafa news agency that supplies, livestock feed and a tent were transported to the newly established illegal outpost near the Ras Al-Auja community.

He added that settlers had set fires that destroyed four Palestinian homes in the area earlier this month. Moreover, Gharib highlighted that the settler responsible for this new outpost had previously assaulted residents of Al-Ma’rajat neighbourhood in Jericho.

The outpost comes weeks after Israeli settlers attacked the Rashaida community near the Al-Auja Spring area, using sticks and stones, and attempted to steal their sheep.

In recent years, Al-Auja villagers have suffered from Israeli demolition and persecution campaigns and repeated attacks and violations by settlers and occupation soldiers.

Read: Israeli settlers intensify attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

Its residents are denied access to basic services by occupation authorities due to its location in ‘Area C’ of the occupied West Bank, which is Palestinian land under Israel’s administrative and military control.

Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians seek as the core of an independent state. It has built illegal Jewish-only settlements there.

Israel has stepped up raids in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October. United Nations’ records show at least 358 people in the Palestinian territory have been killed since 7 October, a quarter of them children.

The death toll in Gaza has already passed 33,800 since 7 October. Under international law, both the West Bank and East Jerusalem are occupied territories. All settlement building is, therefore, illegal.