West Bank: Israeli Occupation Arrests 15 Palestinians as Settlers Continue Violence Against Palestinians
Occupation army arrests journalists and released prisoners, while settlers attack olive farmers in the West Bank
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Ramallah, October 4 (KUNA) -- The Israeli occupation army arrested 15 Palestinians in the West Bank on Sunday, including a journalist, a female journalist, and released prisoners, while settlers continued their violence against Palestinians and their property, coinciding with the olive harvest season.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office stated in a press release that the arrest campaign targeted journalist Sami Al-Shami from the village of Asira Al-Qibliya, south of Nablus, and Raja Jaber, a member of the administrative council of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, who was arrested from her home in the town of Araba, south of Jenin.
For its part, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned Jaber’s arrest, stating in a press release that it constitutes a continuation of the Israeli occupation’s policy of targeting Palestinian journalists, attempting to intimidate them, and deterring them from carrying out their professional mission.
In a related development, settlers continued their violence against Palestinians and their property, coinciding with the olive harvest season, which begins this month. Local Palestinian sources reported that settlers attacked farmers during the olive harvest, stealing olives and equipment in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, south of Nablus, and set fire to a vehicle in the town of Al-Samu, south of Hebron.
The General Authority for Civil Affairs also reported in its daily bulletin that several governorates in the West Bank witnessed a series of attacks targeting citizens, farmers, and their property, coinciding with the olive harvest season.
For its part, the Anti-Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission documented 2,051 incidents of violence committed by settlers against Palestinians and their property last month in its report, specifying that 1,404 attacks were carried out by the Israeli occupation army and 647 by settlers.
The commission stated that these attacks undermine Palestinians’ ability to remain on their land, noting that targeting citizens, vandalizing their property and crops, restricting their access to land, and demolishing homes and agricultural structures exacerbate the risks facing families and weaken their sources of livelihood and stability.
It added that settlers attempted to establish 21 new settlement outposts, which represent the first stage in a process of land control. This process begins with setting up tents and structures, clearing roads, and imposing military protection, before transitioning to consolidating the outpost, providing it with services and infrastructure, and linking it to existing settlements, ultimately aiming to regularize its status and transform it into an officially recognized settlement by the Israeli occupation government.
The commission emphasized that this path facilitates the expansion of control over rural and grazing lands and areas between villages, linking settlement sites together, thereby further isolating Palestinian communities and restricting citizens’ access to their lands. (End) N.Q./F.L.A.
