Israeli settlers establish infrastructure for new outpost near Bethlehem
QUDS, Aug. 31 (YPA) – The Israeli occupation’s settlers began establishing infrastructure on Sunday for a newly built settlement outpost in the Al-Qarn area east of Al-Minya village, southeast of Bethlehem, while continuing to clear large areas of land in the town of Nahalin, west of the governorate, in an escalation aimed at expanding settlements and creating new settlement realities on the ground.
Ahmed Kawazbeh, head of the Al-Minya village council, said work on the infrastructure of the new outpost was progressing rapidly, alongside the clearing of land in the area in preparation for its expansion and transformation into a permanent settlement.
He noted that residents of Al-Minya have been subjected to repeated attacks by settlers, including assaults on homes and vehicles, attempts to seize livestock, as well as noise and disturbances during nighttime hours.
In the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, settlers continued on Sunday to clear large areas of land in the Wadi Al-Jamala and Ard Al-Kabbarat areas, located below the fence of the Beitar Illit settlement, with the aim of expanding the fence at the expense of Palestinian-owned land.
A local source said the targeted lands are privately owned by residents of Nahalin and that the land-clearing operations are being carried out under the direct supervision of the settlement administration, rather than being individual actions by settlers.
The source warned that continued land clearing could result in the permanent confiscation of dozens of dunams, depriving their owners of access to and use of their land.
The latest actions come about a week after settlers established another new outpost in the Jabal Ain Al-Faqih area of Nahalin, amid continued demolition measures targeting a number of Palestinian homes.
The measures are part of an earlier decision targeting 14 homes and structures across different parts of the town, whose owners had pursued legal proceedings and received stop-work and demolition notices.