AL-KHALIL, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi praised residents of Turmus Ayya village in Ramallah and Sa’ir village in al-Khalil for confronting Israeli settler attacks, as well as residents in Khirbet Khallet al-Hummus hamlet, south of al-Khalil, for holding Friday prayer on land threatened with confiscation.
Mardawi said holding the prayer reflected residents’ determination to remain on their land and reject settlement expansion and forced displacement.
He said the broad popular presence in targeted areas and resistance to settler attacks demonstrated Palestinians’ firm resolve to defend their land and rights, sending a clear message that Israeli plans and settler violence would not uproot them.
Mardawi described the growing spirit of resistance and defiance in threatened communities as essential to confronting settlement and annexation plans. He said remaining on the land and maintaining a permanent presence there were crucial to defeating such projects.
He called for wider public participation in field activities in targeted areas, stronger local protection committees and greater support for residents, farmers and landowners facing repeated attacks.
Mardawi also urged support for various forms of resistance against ongoing Israeli violations, saying settlement plans backed by the Israeli government would fail in the face of Palestinian determination despite the growing violence and heavy sacrifices.
Meanwhile, several Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli occupation forces suppressed an anti-settlement protest against the seizure of land on Jabal Tarousa, west of Dura, where construction of a new settlement has begun.
