Israel settlers raze large areas of Palestinian land in near Ramallah

Israeli settlers levelled large areas of Palestinian-owned land this morning in the village of Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah.

Marwan Al-Sabah, head of the Umm Safa village council, told Wafa news agency that settlers secretly entered the Jabal Al-Ras area, east of the village, and cleared Palestinian-owned land.

He emphasised that this land is vital for roads connecting Umm Safa to neighbouring villages, including Deir Al-Sudan, Ajul and Aroura. Its destruction threatens to isolate the village from its surroundings.

Since Israel’s assault on Gaza began on 7 October, 2023, the Israeli occupation army has kept Umm Safa’s two main entrances closed, further restricting movement.

Bulldozers have already cleared over 300 dunams of farmland, uprooting olive and grape trees as part of ongoing settlement expansion. Umm Safa has faced repeated settler attacks from illegal settlements built on its land and that of neighbouring villages.

Meanwhile, an Israeli settler allowed his livestock to graze on Palestinian-owned land in the town of Deir Istiya, northwest of Salfit.

Anti-settlement activist Nazmi Al-Salman also told Wafa that a settler from the illegal outpost of Havat Ibn Haimer, built on Palestinian land in Deir Istiya, let his sheep graze near the Maghr Al-Asmar estate, north of the town.

In an advisory opinion issued in July, the International Court of Justice deemed Israel’s occupation of the West Bank illegal and called for it to come to an end within a year and for reparations to be paid to Palestinians.

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