Israeli occupation forces and Settlers carried out 492 attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank during May, the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission found.
These spanned from direct assaults on Palestinians to vandalism, levelling of lands and uprooting trees, as well as the seizure of property, closures and the establishment of barriers restricting freedom of movement.
According to the commission’s monthly report, these attacks were concentrated in the Nablus Governorate with 132 incidents, followed by Jenin Governorate with 69, then the Tulkarm Governorate with 43.
Israel’s occupation forces demolished 45 homes, commercial sites and other buildings that are sources of livelihood, including the high-profile case of the “Challenge 5” school in Bethlehem. Over the course of the month, Israeli authorities also issued 72 demolition orders.
Seventy-three cases of settler attacks were also recorded across the month of May, including in Ya`bad, Burqa and Silwan. One of the most severe attacks happened on Wednesday in Jalud, northeast of Ramallah, when Settlers descended on the village and attacked residents and vandalized property. Out of all the attacks, 34 of them took place in the Nablus Governorate.
A total of 2,961 trees were either damaged or uprooted entirely, including 1,929 olive trees and 1,032 seedlings. Of these cases, 1,530 were concentrated in the Hebron Governorate, while 855 trees were damaged or uprooted in the Nablus Governorate.
The commission’s head Moayad Shaaban said “The occupation authorities issued three seizure orders to seize a total of 152 dunums of citizens’ lands in the governorates of Qalqilya, Nablus, Jenin, and Ramallah,” adding that they approved six plans for settlements in the West Bank that set* an additional 882 dunums in their crosshairs.
Shaaban also confirmed that a new settlement comprising of 600 new units has been established in Salfit Governorate under the name “Ariel West.” The plan was approved in 1992, but was only formally launched in the last month.
