Israeli Settlement Division Transfers Army Firing Zones into Settlement Grazing Areas

By: Madeeha Al-A’raj

The National Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements ( nbprs ) stated in its latest weekly report , that Israeli Occupation Authorities continue to use satanic techniques to rob as much as possible of the Occupied Palestinian Territory’s land through the so-called Settlement Division at the Israeli Civil Administration, which includes groups of settlers that operate almost without supervision, knowing that it has recently signed contracts with settlements and outposts’ heads to transform firing-zone into settlement grazing areas, for example but not-limit-ed to the Firing Zone 918 in the “Masafer Yatta”, Hebron, in the West Bank. On the other hand, the occupation army still tantalize with regard the outpost set up by settlers on the top of Mount Sabih as Hebrew sources revealed that Minister of the Occupation Army, Benny Gantz, has approved the return of settlers to the “Avitar outpost” built on the lands of the Beita town, south of Nablus.
The Civil Administration added that the outpost is built on “state land”´-or-what is known as “communal lands,” and therefore there will be no problem in allowing settlers to return to it. Army circles said that the current timing may not be appropriate to take this step. Thus, Gantz will grasp the appropriate timing to issue a decision in favor of the settlers.

The occupation forces’ maneuvers at the borders of the Avitar outpost on Mount Sabih didn’t stop, but extend to the “Homish settlement”" on the top of Mount Al-Qbeibat in the Burqa town, north of the city of Nablus. Despite the allegations of the occupation army that it issued a decision banning settlers from entering the area and declaring it a closed military zone, settlers, under the protection of the occupation forces, continue to infiltrate the site, while Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Justice and head of the Tikvah Hadshah Party, opposes the evacuation of the religious school in Homesh, and calls for Legitimizing the presence of the yeshiva in the settlement, which was in practice illegally established, and was evacuated several times, adding that the evacuation could be interpreted as an achievement for the Palestinians.

Within the context, human rights organizations called on Israel, as the occupying power to stop the settlers’ violence against the Palestinians, stressing that the protection of the Palestinian population is an obligation and a duty under international law, which Israel has pledged to respect and abide by. They pointed out that the settlers’ violence and crimes in the West Bank have multiplied and that the Israeli authorities are not doing enough to prevent their violations. According to Yesh Din data, during the last quarter of 2021, 24 attacks and violence against Palestinians and their property were documented, and complaint were submitted to the police in 5 cases, but all the complaints were rejected.
The organization explained that the settlers violence and crimes have become routine and familiar events in the West Bank. The motive behind these violent practices and damage to property are strategic -dir-ections that aim to intimidate the Palestinians and create a real threat in order to strip them of their lands and reduce their living space. For its part, the Peace Now Movement said that the violence and crimes committed by the settlers undermine Israel s international standing. Besides, settlers’ practices pose an existential threat to the Jewish and democratic character of the state and in fact constitute a major obstacle to any future peace agreement.
Moreover, the continued military and civilian control of the West Bank of more than 2.5 million Palestinians threatens Israel s security, economy, and its democratic character as the state of the Jewish people. This becomes obvious through the increased number of such attacks, which exceeded more than 1,200 cases of violence from 2012 until last July.

As for the ongoing settlement plans in the Arab territories occupied by the 1967 aggression, the occupation government approved, during its weekly meeting held in a settlement in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, a plan aimed at doubling the number of settlers in the Golan until 2030. One billion shekels were allocated for this plan, including NIS 576 million for building 7,300 new housing units within 5 years, and NIS 160 million “to improve the infrastructure and develop the health and education systems in the Golan, and NIS 162 million for tourism infrastructure, and the development of industrial and commercial centers.”
The plan aims to attract Jews to settle in the Golan Heights by allocating economic incentives to develop these areas, attract about 23,000 Jews to live in them, and build two new settlements in the Golan-;- “Asif” and “Matar”, and work on removing mines, changing the plans of firing zones and military exercises, developing the transportation infrastructure, in addition to developing projects related to education, tourism, technology and others related to security, and solar energy.
Moreover, settlers also stormed a Waqf “endowment land” in the Al-Suwaneh Neighborhood, the only residential neighborhood located on the western slope of the Mount of Olives in the occupied Jerusalem, and held provocative celebrations and dances. Knowing that the Settlement Supervision Committee affiliated to the Occupation Authority disclosed a plan n. 23185 will be tendered soon to build new settlement units, if implemented, would completely close the eastern area of the occupied Jerusalem, and encircle the areas “Anata, Al-Tur, and Hizma”, depriving them of any possibility of future expansion towards the east.

List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Demolishing 10 commercial facilities that used to repair vehicles in the Hizma town, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, under the pretext that the area is under the Israeli control. Knowing that the Israeli forces have destroyed all the equipment and goods inside these facilities.
- Issuing a demolition order of the Sur Bahr club building under the pretext of not having a building permit.
- Demolishing a house in the Jabal Al- Mukaber belonging to Hussein Bashir.
- Demolishing a house in the Al-Bustan Neighborhood in Silwan town, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of not having a building permit, in addition to 65 houses threatened with demolition in Al-Bustan Neighborhood to establish a “national park.”
- Installing Israeli poles to erect an electronic gate on Al Ain Street in Silwan, with the aim of monitoring the Palestinians movements.
Hebron:
- Attempting to storm the villages of Khilat al-Daba’, al-Fakhit, al-Majaz, al-Taban, Maghair Obaid, Safi Tahta and Fawqa, located in the Masafer Yatta.
- Demolishing a two-storey house with an area of 150m2 in the Sondas area, south of Hebron.
- Storming the Toba community, east of Yatta, south of Hebron, and inspecting the sheep barns there.
- Building a road to link the settlement of “Telem” with the settlement of “Adora” in favor of the settlement expansion. It should be noted that the road will confiscate about 50 dunums of citizens lands and threaten 200 dunums of surrounding lands.
Bethlehem:
- Notifying of seizing more than 40 dunums of land in the Al-Khader town in the “Ain Kassis” area, with the aim of erecting iron gates on the agricultural roads that lead to the outpost of “Sidi Boaz”.
- Uprooting dozens of old olive trees in the village of Wad Fokin, and bulldozing 3 donums of land located at the main entrance to the village, uprooted 50 olive trees belonging to Halima Abdel Fattah al-Dibs, as well.
Ramallah:
- Closing the entrance to the Sinjel town, north of Ramallah, as the Israeli settlers gathered near the main street adjacent to the town, under the Israeli protection.
- Cutting down 20 olive seedlings in the village of Ras Karkar, and destroying agricultural lands. It should be noted that the Israeli settlers established a settlement outpost on village lands in the Jabal al-Raysan area with the support of the Israeli forces, and seized 50 dunums of the mountain lands.
Nablus:
- Attacking the homes of citizens near the entrance to the Sebastia town with stones and opening fire against them.
- Injuring 10 Palestinian with live bullets, and 48 with rubber-coated metal bullets at the entrance to the village of Burqa, north of Nablus, north of Nablus.
- Storming the eastern Lubban village and closing its entrance.
- Cutting down about 46 olive trees from the lands of Burin village, south of Nablus, and about 70 old olive trees from the land of Nimr Tirawi, near the bypass road of the “Yitzhar settlement”.
Salfeet:
- Seizing a bulldozer in the Iskaka town, east of Salfeet, prevented the continuation of work on the reclamation and rehabilitation project of lands located in C Area.
- Storming agricultural lands and stealing olive seedlings west of the city of Salfeet, in addition to confiscating a tractor, stealing 80 large olive seedlings, confiscating telephones and preventing anyone from working in C Area, but with a permit.
Qalqilia:
- Demolishing 3 agricultural rooms and uprooting trees from 3 dunums of lands of the Hable town, isolated behind the apartheid wall, and uprooting of newly planted fruit trees on an area of 2 dunams.
- Demolishing 2 agricultural rooms and the floors of 2 agricultural facilities, as well as closing the agricultural roads in the “Beir al-Shilah” area in the Azoun Atma village, south of Qalqilya.
Jordan Valley:
- Storming The Khirbet Ibziq in the northern Jordan Valley and demolished tents and residential and agricultural facilities for 10 families, with the aim of conducting military training near their homes. It should be noted that the military Israeli training in the northern Jordan Valley resulted in the destruction of hundreds of dunums of agricultural and grazing lands planted with wheat, barley and vegetables.
- Storming the Um al-Quba area in the northern Jordan Valley, and assaulted the shepherds that resulted in the injury of a Palestinian citizen.

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