Jerusalem: Israeli colonists Wednesday set up a tent near the tents of Palestinian citizens in Khirbet Samra in the northern Jordan Valley. Human rights activist Aref Daraghmeh reported that a group of colonists established a tent close to the homes of local resident Yasser Abu Aram. He noted that these lands are owned by residents of Tubas.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Daraghmeh explained that this action is part of a broader effort to impose further restrictions on the people of the Jordan Valley, pressuring them to leave by establishing more colonial outposts or new facilities aimed at linking existing outposts. He confirmed that the tent's location is near an outpost set up years ago in Khirbet al-Suwayda, suggesting intentions to connect it with the existing outpost, expand it, and eventually link it with surrounding colonies.
Daraghmeh highlighted that settlers have been actively establishing arbors and tents, which could later transform into colonial outposts that obstruct shepherds from accessing pastures. These outposts also serve as starting points for aggressive actions against residents, forcing them to abandon their lands, similar to incidents in the Umm al-Jimal gathering months prior.
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission has monitored colonists' attempts to set up 10 new colonial outposts since January. These outposts are primarily agricultural and pastoral, with four established on lands in the Tubas Governorate, three in Nablus, and three others in Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Bethlehem. The Commission indicated that these actions are directed by the Israeli cabinet, which supports the colonial settlement project, providing facilities to colonists to implement plans for land control and forced displacement.
