Israeli Settlers Seize Eight Palestinian Homes in Jericho, Displacing Dozens
About 30 Israeli settlers seized eight Palestinian homes in Ein a-Duyuk a-Tahta on the outskirts of occupied Jericho on Wednesday afternoon, according to the settlement watchdog Peace Now. The United Nations said the settlers reportedly used live ammunition, physically assaulted residents and threw stones, forcing dozens of people to flee. Peace Now also said settlers assaulted and robbed two Israeli activists and shot a Palestinian man in the leg. Some of those displaced now lack adequate shelter. The Israeli military later declared the area a closed military zone, blocking humanitarian workers from reaching those affected.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, speaking for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemned the violence on Thursday. Settler representative Hanan Greenwood told AFP that Nachala, a right-wing Israeli organisation that funds new West Bank settlements and campaigns for annexation, had bought the eight homes “with our help.” Palestinian officials say the sale documents were forged. Jericho governor Hussein Hamayel told AFP the land belongs to the Palestinian Authority and cannot be sold, calling the claim forgery and settler propaganda.
The site is in Area C, under Israeli control since the Oslo Accords of the 1990s. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967; more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements there, which are illegal under international law. Settler violence in the West Bank has approached all-time highs this year, and several Palestinian communities around Jericho have already been driven from their homes. Residents feared the newcomers would intensify attacks and bring a heavier military presence, a pattern Peace Now says has played out in Hebron, where 400 settlers live among 250,000 Palestinians amid friction, movement restrictions and the displacement of thousands.
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