RAMALLAH (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Israeli settlers launched coordinated attacks on Palestinian agricultural land and vital water resources near Al-Khalil and Jericho on Saturday, in a growing pattern of settler violence supported by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF).
According to local sources, settlers descended on the Tayaran neighborhood in the town of Al-Dhahiriya, south of Al-Khalil, bringing with them a herd of around 50 cows which they let loose on private Palestinian property. The settlers reportedly allowed the animals to graze freely on citizens’ land and deliberately wasted water meant for both human and animal consumption by pouring it out on the ground.
In a separate incident, settlers raided the Shalal al-Auja community north of Jericho. There, they released sheep into the Al-Omari area and used water from a local storage tank belonging to the Palestinian community. Residents say they pay for this water, as the area suffers from a lack of access to a consistent public water supply.
“These acts of sabotage are part of a broader effort to push Palestinians off their land. Water is already scarce, and settlers are deliberately making life unlivable,” a resident of Al-Auja said.
The attacks come amid a sharp increase in settler and IOF violence across the occupied West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, April alone saw 1,693 recorded attacks—1,352 by the Israeli military and 341 carried out by settlers.
Palestinian human rights groups warn that settler violence is part of a state-backed campaign to forcibly displace Palestinians from Area C of the West Bank, in violation of international law.
