Palestinians Protest against Settler Outpost at West Bank
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. However, approximately 1 million Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law. Meanwhile, settler outposts are also prohibited under Israeli law.
During the march, a group of Palestinians walked from Raba toward a nearby hill on top of which settlers had established the outpost.
'We came to this area to express our protest and say: 'this land is ours, not yours',' Ghassan Bazour, head of Raba's village council, told AFP.
They performed Friday prayer at the base of the hill and continued toward the outpost. At that time, Israeli soldiers arrived on the scene and dispersed the crowd with tear gas, an AFP journalist reported.
As a result, 13 people suffered from tear gas inhalation and received medical care from the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Bazour stated that settlers had originally taken over the hill's high ground to establish an outpost and prevent Palestinians from accessing nearby agricultural lands.
'There is now a settler outpost here (which) will continue to devour the land and empty these areas,' Muayad Shaaban, head of the Palestinian Authority's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, told AFP. Mounting Violence
Violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has been growing since the Hamas attack of October 2023 with increasing number of killings and attacks by settlers and security forces.
OHCHR noted that settlers have launched 757 attacks on Palestinians or their properties since January 2025.
In May, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel planned to build a 'Jewish Israeli state' in the occupied West Bank, according to Al-Arabiya.
Katz's remarks followed Israel's announcement of the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank.
Related Topics:
UN Rights Office Reports Increasing Settler Attacks in Occupied West Bank
Israel Kills American Citizens in West Bank, Anger Turns toward US
Israel Detains Pro-Palestine Activists in West Bank amid Settler Violence
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