Israeli settlers establish new outpost in northern Jordan Valley, cut power to Bedouin community

Israeli settlers have set up a new settlement outpost near the Tayasir military checkpoint in the northern Jordan Valley, Wafa news agency has reported. According to local Palestinian rights activist Aref Daraghmeh, the illegal settlers installed a trellis and brought cattle to the site, raising concerns that the area may soon be converted into a settlement outpost.

The Wall and Settlement Authority has reported that Israeli settlers have attempted to establish 10 additional illegal outposts since January, many centred on agricultural and pastoral activities, enabling the seizure of thousands of dunams of grazing land.

The international community, including the UN, considers all settlements and outposts to be illegal under international law. The UN has warned repeatedly that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In July last year the International Court of Justice ruled that the occupation is “illegal” and should be dismantled as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Israeli settlers this morning severed electrical wires supplying power to several Palestinian homes and a school in the Bedouin community of Arab Al-Malihat, north west of Jericho in the occupied West Bank.

Hassan Malihat, General Supervisor of Al-Baydar Organisation for Defending Bedouin Rights, told Wafa that settlers stormed the community and cut electricity lines serving five families and the Arab Al-Kaabneh Elementary School.

The Arab Al-Malihat community has faced persistent harassment from settlers in the Mu’arjat region, part of ongoing efforts to pressure Palestinian residents to abandon their homes and lands.

The number of settlers in the occupied West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, has surged to more than 800,000 in more than 170 settlements, in addition to hundreds of outposts. Settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed a significant upsurge since the latest Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in December 2022.

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