Israeli settlers on Saturday bulldozed land and set up tents in the village of Umm Safa, north of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, in preparation for confiscation, according to a local official.
Marwan Sabah, head of the village council in Umm Safa, said that Israeli settlers from the “Ateret” settlement, built on the lands of Umm Safa village and neighboring villages, “bulldozed areas of the village’s lands and set up tents on them, threatening to confiscate them.”
He pointed out that “the targeted area is called (Jabal al-Ras), and its area is about 500 dunams, and that the settlers carried out the bulldozing operations and erected tents under the protection of the occupation army.”
Settlers storm Umm Safa village under the protection of occupation forces#Aljazeera #video pic.twitter.com/eVlih7ixN2
— Tel Aviv Tribune Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) September 14, 2024
Various excuses
He explained that “the Israeli authorities had previously confiscated about 4,000 dunams of the village’s land, over the course of several years, and under various pretexts,” noting that the village is classified as Area C according to the Oslo Accords.
The Oslo II Accords of 1995 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. The latter constitutes about 60% of the West Bank.
Sabah called for international intervention to prevent settlers from confiscating and seizing lands.
A stand was also organized today, Saturday, in the village, denouncing the settlers’ attack and the Israeli army’s support for them.
📷#a witness | The occupation forces assault Palestinian and foreign journalists and activists in the town of Umm Safa, Ramallah District pic.twitter.com/22Rm2SIrCF
— Awdeh TV (@AwdehTV) September 14, 2024
Assaults
According to data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, settler attacks after October 7, 2023, led to the martyrdom of 19 Palestinians in the West Bank, the injury of more than 785, and the displacement of 26 Bedouin communities.
According to Israeli estimates, more than 720,000 settlers live in settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.