Jerusalem [Israel], February 18: Israeli settlers have forced 15 Palestinian families to tear down their homes and depart from the northern Jordan Valley in the northeastern occupied West Bank, according to a local official.
Mahdi Daraghmeh, head of the al-Malih Village Council, told the Wafa news agency on Tuesday that the families had begun dismantling their homes amid intensifying assaults by settlers. According to Wafa, seven additional families from the nearby Maita community were forced to leave several days earlier following similar settler attacks and threats.
In a separate incident, settlers assaulted men from Nabi Samwil village, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, injuring one, who was taken to a hospital with bruises, Wafa reported.
This comes as Israeli forces have stepped up attacks on several areas across the occupied West Bank, with raids and demolitions reported in Nablus, Al Khader and Salfit on Tuesday.
The Israeli government has advanced a series of measures to cement its control over the occupied territory. These include making it easier for settlers to buy Palestinian land, and opening up the registration of Palestinian land as Israeli state land. This week the Israeli government also approved a plan to designate large areas of the occupied West Bank as "state property", shifting the burden of proof to Palestinians to establish ownership of their land.
Source: Qatar Tribune
