Residents of Bedouin community east of Jerusalem push back colonists out of community

JERUSALEM: Residents of the Bir al-Maskoub Bedouin community, east of occupied Jerusalem, have successfully expelled Israeli colonists out of the community after unlawfully occupying it for several days. The colonists had seized the community last Tuesday, forcing its inhabitants to leave after storming it and confiscating tents and agricultural crops. The community, comprising seven families of Bedouins from the Rahhalin tribe, had previously relocated to the western area of Jerusalem. Upon their return, they were shocked to find the colonists occupying their tents and preventing them from entering. The community is surrounded by the colonial settlements of Ma'ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim, and Israel seeks to expand them as part of the controversial E1 settlement project. This project threatens the viability of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state, as it would annex significant portions of Area C, which covers more than 60% of the West Bank's territory. Source: Palestine news & Information A gency – WAFA