Israeli bulldozers, belonging to settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Yitzhar in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, razed Wednesday morning lands in a Palestinian village, the latest in a series of attacks and vandalizing acts.
Ma'an news agency quoted Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank, that several Israeli settlers from Yitzhar razed lands in eastern Assira al-Qibliya to expand their settlement.
Daghlas described this as a new attempt to seize Palestinians' lands in favor of settlements, asserting that these lands belong to a number of Palestinians.
According to settlement watchdog Peace Now, in the year and a half since President Trump took office some 14,454 units in the West Bank has been approved, which is more than three times the amount that was approved in the year and half before his inauguration (4,476 units).
In August, the Jerusalem District Court ruled that if Israeli settlers built a settlement on private Palestinian land with "good intentions" then it should not be removed. Therefore, allowing more Palestinian lands to be seized by Israeli settlers as they see fit.
Earlier on Monday, a Palestinian young man was run over by an Israeli settler east of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, in the southern occupied West Bank.
The incident took place as Muhammed Mahmoud Odeh Ghazal, 19, was walking on the main road near the al-Minya village crossroads.
Al -Minya is adjacent to the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Amos.
Ghazal was transferred to the Beit Jala Governmental hospital for treatment, where he was reported to have sustained bruises and multiple injuries across his body.
Israeli settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank by either throwing rocks at their cars or by attacking their villages. They also attacked schools and children going to their schools causing grave panic and serious concern among Palestinians.
Many people, including children, were injured in the last few days by settlers’ attacks and several cars were damaged.
The Palestinian government has been demanding international protection for the Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories against Israeli army and settlers’ attacks.
Since the occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 1967, between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis have moved into Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of international law.
The estimated 196 government recognized Israeli settlements scattered across the Palestinian territory are all considered illegal under international law, particularly article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which establishes that the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
