[News] Israeli Settler Attacks Increased by 60% in 2018

[Anti-Imperialist News]

http://imemc.org/article/report-settler-attacks-increased-by-60-in-2018/


  Settler Attacks Increased by 60% in 2018

December 26, 2018
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/by Madeeha Araj, PNN/

In its latest weekly report about Israeli settlements activities in the 
occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, the National Bureau for the 
Defense of Land stated as follows…

The course of hatred and attacks on the Palestinian people continue and 
take a more dangerous curve following the formation of more organized 
and coordinated extremist groups, in the West Bank, that launched calls 
under the title, “There’s operations, no Arabs.”

Moreover, they called for gathering at road 60, which extends from 
Hebron to Nablus, in order to prevent Palestinians from using it. In 
their calls, the settlers wrote to Netanyahu 
<http://imemc.org/?s=netanyahu> that, if he fails to protect them, they 
will act themselves. Bit-Eil settlement council head Bin Yashai told 
Israeli army leaders that he and other settlers would prevent the 
re-opening of the road.

According to Israeli information and reports, settler attacks on 
Palestinians classified as hate crimes have increased by 60%, from the 
previous year of 2017. Data indicate that, in 2017, there were 79 cases 
of aggression, but 2018 recorded 127 cases, which means approximately 
one assault every three days, to include the puncturing of car tires, 
the uprooting of trees, racist slogans painted on walls, physical 
assault, killing and assaulting animals. The highest number of attacks 
was recorded in the villages of Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron governorates.

The Israeli army guarantees the protection of settlers, on the streets 
of the occupied West Bank, with concrete cubes and other obstacles. The 
army has also reinforced its numbers in several battalions throughout 
the West Bank, to ensure the maximum protection of the psychological and 
material rights of settlers. “It is unreasonable to have an operation, 
and, the next day, waiting to have the same,” said deputy president of 
the Knesset Israel Yishlar, who called for the duplication of 
checkpoints by adding 12 new ones.

Thus, the Israeli government has developed a way to punish Palestinians 
through building more illegal settlements, though violating 
international law and its resolutions, the latest being resolution 2334 
of 2016, which condemns the Israeli settlement policy.

Within this context, the Gush Etzion settlement council confirmed the 
completion of a plan to build of 14,864 new settlement units in the 
settlements of Gush Etzion, located between Bethlehem and Hebron. The 
head of the settlement council said that the new construction would 
triple the number of settlers in Gush Etzion, adding that the 
construction of settlement units has been planned for a year and a half, 
with the construction of 1,100 settlement units in the settlement of 
Tzurim, 600 in the Magdal Oz settlement, 1,107 units in the settlement 
of Ga’ot and 1,200 units between Beit Ayin and Magdal Oz, to have a 
geographical connection. NIS 18.9 million was paid for the planning only.

In a related matter, in the city of Hebron in particular, an internal 
report for the International Monitoring Force found that the city was 
collapsing under the burden of occupation and settlers, and that Israel 
is breaking international law, as Palestinians are regularly attacked, 
their freedom of movement and their right to access places of worship 
violated.

“Hebron is more divided today than ever before because of the actions of 
the Israeli government and the settlers.” said the report, which also 
also stated that Israel is constantly violating Article 49 of the Fourth 
Geneva Convention, which prohibits the deportation of persons under 
occupation, and “normal life” is not available anywhere in the city, 
especially in the Old Town area – located in Area H2. The report 
indicated violations of road construction on Palestinian-owned land, 
particularly at the Qiryat Arba settlement in central Hebron, and the 
destruction of Palestinian homes that were built since the Ottoman period.

The European Union expressed its deep concern over the demolition of a 
school in the area of Al-Simeya, north of Hebron, in Area C, on December 
5th. The European Union, in a statement issued by its representative, 
said, “This is the 5th time that the Israeli authorities demolish or 
confiscate school buildings or kindergartens in the West Bank, in 2018.”

The total number of schools, in Area C and East Jerusalem, which have 
been ordered demolished or left unfinished in them, were 50, which led 
to the creation of a compelling environment affecting more than 5,000 
school children.

/(edited for the IMEMC by c h r is @ i m e m c . o r g)/

/*Opinion/Analysis 12/19/18 Palestinians Have A Legal Right To Armed 
Struggle 
<http://imemc.org/article/palestinians-have-a-legal-right-to-armed-struggle/>*/

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