Jewish settlers carry out raid on Bedouin community
Bedouins located near the town of Mikhmas, northeast of Occupied Jerusalem, have been attacked by Jewish settlers, as reported by the Middle East Eye and agencies on December 28th.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, the community of Khilat al-Sidra was raided by around 15 settlers, who stole solar-powered lighting equipment and vandalised residents’ property.
Settlers have established six outposts around Khilat al-Sidra, from which they launch attacks against Bedouin residents. The attacks seem to be part of a broader effort to displace Palestinian residents and make way for Jewish settlement outposts.
Bedouins have faced repeated attacks from Israeli settlers, including in July, when a raid by settlers allegedly led to 117 sheep being killed and hundreds of the animals being stolen from Bedouin farmers in the West Bank.
Water supplies for Palestinian villages have also been targeted for sabotage by settlers, which particularly impacted farmers who relied on water to sustain their businesses.
Israel has long sought to expand Jewish-only settlements across Jerusalem and the Occupied West Bank, where more than 700,000 Israelis currently reside in settlements.
The number is expected to increase amid the Israeli government eyeing the annexation of 82% of the West Bank, which would leave just six isolated Palestinian enclaves outside of Israeli jurisdiction.
It was reported on December 22nd that 11 new settlements were established in the West Bank, with the government also being expected to recognise and legalise eight outposts and neighbourhoods established by settlers.
Plans for settlement expansion are not limited to the West Bank and Jerusalem, as settlers have increasingly sought to establish outposts in northern Gaza.
Increasing the number of Israeli settlers seems to be part of a broader Israeli plan to maintain an Israeli demographic majority in the occupied territories, with the Israeli government urging Jewish people to emigrate to Israel under the “Law of Return.”
The West Bank and Jerusalem have been under Israeli occupation since being captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Some Israelis advocate for the expansion of Israeli territory under the “Greater Israel” plan, which envisions Israel fully occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, along with parts of Jordan and Syria.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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