Ramallah: Israeli colonists Thursday razed large tracts of Palestinian land in the village of Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah. The head of the Umm Safa village council, Marwan al-Sabah, reported that colonists had covertly entered the village, proceeding to destroy Palestinian-owned land in the Jabal al-Ras area, located east of the village.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, this area is crucial as it serves the roads leading to the neighboring villages of Deir al-Sudan, Ajul, and Aroura, potentially isolating Umm Safa from its surroundings. The village has faced road closures at its two main entrances following the events in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. The Jabal al-Ras area has been repeatedly targeted by colonists and occupying forces, with bulldozers reportedly destroying over 300 dunams of land previously planted with olive and grape trees.
In a related incident, an extremist colonist was observed grazing livestock on Palestinian land in the town of Deir Istiya, northwest of Salfit. Anti-settlement activist Nazmi Al-Salman informed WAFA that a colonist from the illegal outpost of Havat Ibn Haimer, constructed on Palestinian lands in Deir Istiya, allowed his sheep to graze near the Maghr Al-Asmar estate, located north of the town.
