Ramallah: Israeli colonists on Thursday reestablished an illegal outpost on a tract of land in the town of Atara, north of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to local sources. They reported that colonists set up tents at the site of Jabal Khirbat Tarfirn near the town entrance after it was torn down by the occupation forces.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, on Monday, dozens of colonists leveled the land and transported mobile homes to the site, under heavy protection from Israeli occupation forces, to displace the indigenous population and seize their lands for new settler-colonial projects. Jabal Khirbat Tarfim, which covers an area of 2,000 dunams, is an archaeological site frequented by illegal colonists as part of a colonial settlement policy aimed at displacing the Palestinian population.
The violence perpetrated by colonists against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities. This violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others. Approximately 1 million Israeli colonists are living in colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law.
