Violation: Establishment of a Pastoral Settlement Outpost.

Location: Umm Safa village, north of Ramallah City.

Date of Violation: 26/09/2024.

Perpetrators: A group of settlers.

Affected Parties: The residents of the village and neighboring villages.

Description:

Settlers continue their assaults on farmers in the villages and rural areas of Ramallah Governorate, similar to what is happening throughout the West Bank. In the latest of these attacks, a group of settlers, believed to be from the "Atarot" settlement, established a new pastoral outpost on the lands of Umm Safa village in an area known as "Jabal Al-Ras." This targeted location is primarily grazing land, which the occupation authorities classify as "state land."

View of the New Agricultural Settlement Outpost

The settlers have set up colonial tents on the lands of local citizens Maher Saeed Sabah and Nimer Sabti Suleiman Sabah. This coincides with ongoing bulldozing operations that have been taking place for more than a month, as well as systematic land seizures in "Jabal Al-Ras." The residents of the village possess documents proving their ownership of the land, despite the occupation's claims that a significant portion of it is state land.

A few days ago, settlers, under the protection of the occupation forces, began bulldozing approximately 450 dunams of land from the villages of Umm Safa and ‘Arura, northwest of Ramallah. They blocked the road connecting the villages of Deir Sudan, ‘Arura, and Umm Safa, preventing citizens from passing through. This systematic land seizure is part of an occupation strategy targeting the northwestern section of the Ramallah Governorate. The aim is to cut off communication between the villages and the northern West Bank governorates, paving the way for a large colonial project being planned in the area.

Mr. Marwan Sabah, Head of the Village Council of Umm Safa, told the Land Research Center's researcher:

“Bulldozing operations have become a daily occurrence. Today, settlers are establishing a new colonial nucleus in the area, possibly paving the way for a large settlement that could consume hundreds or even thousands of dunams of village land, turning the area into a disaster zone due to the occupation. The bulldozing is happening just meters away from the village homes, and it is likely that the occupation authorities will impose restrictions on construction and the movement of citizens while seizing what remains of the village’s land.”

The Village of Umm Safa:

Umm Safa village is located 12 km north of Ramallah City. It is bordered to the east by the lands of the villages of ‘Ajjul and ‘Atara, to the north by ‘Ajjul and Deir Sudan, to the west by Deir Nidham and Nabi Saleh, and to the south by the villages of Burham, Jibiya, and Kobar.

As of 2017, the village population was approximately 670, distributed among several families: Tantara, Sabah, Musleh, Irqub, Musleh, Bahar, Qannah, and Hamad.

The total area of the village is 4,403 dunams, with 93 dunams as built-up area. The occupation authorities have confiscated 230 dunams for the benefit of the "Atarot" and "Halamish" settlements, which occupy parts of the village’s land.

مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC V - FCDO

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the project donor; the Norwegian Refugee Council.

إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير هي آراء ووجهات نظر مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الجهة المانحة للمشروع؛ المجلس النرويجي. للاجئين