Extremist settlers attacked several Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank, while occupation forces prevented Hebron residents from reaching the Ibrahimi Mosque to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent reported that settlers stormed the old town in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, performed Talmudic rituals, and spread out in the streets of the town.
He added that settlers attacked Palestinians in the old city of Hebron. Local sources reported that settlers fired bullets and stones at citizens’ homes, and closed several streets under the protection of the occupation forces.
On Saturday evening, settlers, under the protection of the occupation army, stormed the town of Umm Safa, north of Ramallah, and fired live bullets at citizens’ homes.
Northwest of Ramallah, the Israeli army stormed the village of Deir Abu Mash’al, “without reporting any arrests or clashes.”
The town of Zeita, north of Tulkarm, also witnessed clashes between residents and Israeli soldiers who “fired live bullets and tear gas canisters, without any injuries being reported.”
He added that “three villages south of Nablus were raided by the Israeli army: Madama, Urif, and Yitma.”
The Palestinian news agency “Wafa” reported that homes were raided and searched and clashes broke out “without any injuries or arrests reported.”
WAFA also reported that the army stormed the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, and deployed in several areas there.
Hebron restrictions
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestinians from reaching the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, coinciding with the commemoration of the Prophet’s birthday.
The occupation forces prevented Palestinians from entering through the Abu al-Rish and Mafia checkpoints.
A Palestinian woman wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh was also prevented from entering the compound. On the other hand, the occupation forces did not allow journalists to enter the Ibrahimi Mosque and take pictures inside it.
Despite Israeli obstacles, 1,300 Palestinian memorizers of the Holy Quran participated in reciting the entire Surah Al-Baqarah in one session at the Ibrahimi Mosque on the occasion of the anniversary of the Prophet’s birthday.
Muslims celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, on the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal of the Islamic calendar every year.
Director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, Moataz Abu Snena, told Anadolu Agency, “1,300 memorizers recited Surat Al-Baqarah (48 pages) in one session, in the mosque’s prayer halls: Al-Ishaqiya, Al-Jouriya, Al-Maliki, the courtyard area, the Ibrahimiyya, Al-Yusufiya, and Al-Yaqoubia.”
The Ibrahimi Mosque is located in the Old City of Hebron, which is under Israeli control, and is home to about 400 settlers guarded by about 1,500 Israeli soldiers.
Since 1994, Israel has divided the mosque into 63% for Jews and 37% for Muslims, following a massacre by a settler that killed 29 Palestinian worshippers.
Press coverage: Coinciding with the anniversary of the Prophet’s birthday… 1,300 memorizers recite Surat Al-Baqarah in the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron. pic.twitter.com/gfHohpAUzq
— Quds News Network (@qudsn) September 15, 2024
Olive uprooting
In a related context, the occupation army uprooted 25 olive trees today, Sunday, in the town of Kafr ad-Dik, west of Salfit, in the northern West Bank.
The olive trees are owned by Palestinian farmer Mohammed Ayoub Al-Ahmad, who told the official Wafa news agency that army bulldozers uprooted 25 olive trees on his land, claiming that it is adjacent to the “Bruchin” settlement.
In Salfit, the Israeli army notified the demolition of 3 poultry farms in the town of Deir Ballut, west of the city.
In the village of Rafat, west of Salfit, the army delivered 6 notices to stop work and construction for shops, homes and a stone factory, according to WAFA.
In the Jordan Valley, north of the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested farmer Nasser Jamil Sawafta from the village of Bardala, and seized equipment, an agricultural tractor, and a concrete mixer, according to the same agency.
During last August, the Israeli army demolished 78 Palestinian homes and facilities, and issued demolition orders for 74 other facilities, while settlers carried out 206 attacks on Palestinian property, according to the Palestinian government’s Wall and Settlement Authority.
The Israeli authorities prohibit construction or land reclamation in areas classified as “C” without permits from them, which are almost impossible to obtain, according to human rights reports.
The Oslo Accords (1993) classified the West Bank into three areas: “A” under full Palestinian control, “B” under Israeli security control and Palestinian civil and administrative control, and “C” under Israeli civil, administrative and security control, and is estimated at about 60% of the West Bank’s area.
Since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, the Israeli army and settlers have escalated their attacks on Palestinian citizens and their property in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, resulting in a total of 703 Palestinians killed, including 159 children, and about 5,700 wounded, according to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
