Nablus- 23 Palestinian protesters have been injured by Israeli occupation forces on Friday in Beita and Beit Dajan villages in Nablus in the occupied West Bank while participating in the weekly anti-occupation protests.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 23 Palestinians have been injured by the Israeli occupation forces during the peaceful protests against Israel’s occupation in Beita and Beit Dajan villages.
The forces attacked the peaceful protesters by intensively firing rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs, and live ammunition to disperse them.
Among the injuries are 8 with rubber-coated metal bullets, including an elderly man.
Beit Dajan and Beita villages are the site of weekly protests against the Israeli occupation and settlement expansion, which are often suppressed by Israeli forces.
While Beit Dajan village lands spread across approximately 6,650 acres, according to the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem, large swathes of territory east of the village have been confiscated by the occupation state, labelled military zones and turned into the site for military bases and settlements, which are illegal under international law.
A large part of the village lands were seized for the construction of Al-Hamra and Mekhora (Mehola) illegal settlements, east and southeast of the village, in 1971 and 1973.
Regarding Beita, in May 2021, a group of Israeli settlers set up caravans on Jabal Sabih, which lies on the southern outskirts of Beita, and comprises an estimated 30 percent of Beita’s entire land area, with the help of Israeli forces, who have since prevented any Palestinian access to the area.
Within days, settlers installed mobile houses, built roads and raised an Israeli flag over the settlement of Evyatar in Beita.
Later, the occupation authorities evacuated dozens of Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement after a deal was reached between a settler leader and the occupation’s new government.
Yossi Dagan, head of settler organization the Shomron Regional Council, struck a deal with Israel’s War minister, Benny Gantz, and interior minister Ayelet Shaked, turning the illegal outpost into a religious school and a military base for the Israeli forces.
‘Israel’ will keep about 50 caravan houses settlers, installed last May on Palestinian lands, while settlers would “return” to the land when Israeli occupation authorities designate it as “state-owned.”
The livelihoods of at least 17 Palestinian families – more than 100 people – are threatened as they depend on harvesting their olives on land they have owned for generations.
Since then, Beita has witnessed several protests and night-confusion activities against the new settler outpost of Evyatar on Jabal Sabih. Palestinians worshippers also perform the Friday prayer near the village as a sign of protest.
However, although the protests have been peaceful, Israeli forces have suppressed, detained, and assaulted the protesters, resulting in injuring hundreds and killing others as they have fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters, and live ammunition directly and intensively towards the protesters.
9 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces during the peaceful protests: Issa Barham, Tariq Sanbar, Ahmed Bani Shams, Shadi Shurafa, Emad Dweikat, Mohammed Hamayel, Zakaria Hamayel, Mohamed al-Kabisa and Jameel Abu Ayyash, who was shot dead last Friday.
12 August 2021, marked the 100th day of protests and resistance against Israeli occupation and settlement expansion in Beita.
In addition to Jabal Sabih, Israeli forces erected another colonial settlement outpost atop Jabal Al-Arma, north of Beita, a few months ago.
Both of the mountains enjoy a strategic location as they overlook the Jordan Valley, a fertile strip of land running west along the Jordan River which makes up approximately 30% of the occupied West Bank.
Lately, Israel’s outgoing Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit authorized the establishment of a settlement on the site of the cleared-out illegal West Bank outpost of Evyatar, just days before the end of his tenure.
In a legal opinion, Mendelblit determines that declaring Evyatar as state-owned can proceed.
The move still requires the final approval of War Minister Benny Gantz.
