• Violation: Establishment of a new colonial settlement outpost.
• Location: Al-Nazlah Al-Sharqiyah Village, north of Tulkarem city.
• Date of Violation: October 2024.
• Perpetrators: A group of settlers.
• Victims: The residents of Al-Nazlah Al-Sharqiyah Village.

Description:

In early October 2024, a group of settlers established a new pastoral colonial outpost on the lands of Al-Nazlah Al-Sharqiyah Village, in the "Al-Maghraqa" area, located to the northeast of the village.

The settlers set up three mobile housing units and constructed a one-kilometer-long colonial road on pasture lands that the occupation classifies as state lands. This is being done to pave the way for the full control of the area by the occupation forces.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation views this outpost as a tangible step towards the complete Judaization of the area. The outpost is located only about 400 meters south of the "Hermesh" settlement.

Mr. Wael Khatana, the head of the village council, stated:

"Since the establishment of this outpost, we have been suffering from the inability of farmers to access their agricultural lands, which are estimated to be about 200 dunams in the Al-Maghraqa area. The colonial outpost has contributed to imposing a fait accompli, specifically preventing farmers from entering their lands and harvesting the olives, which may lead to the failure of the current olive season. We have addressed several official bodies, but there have been no results to date – as of the date of this report."

It is worth mentioning that since October 7, 2023, until now, Al-Nazlah Al-Sharqiyah Village has been suffering from an escalation by settlers on its agricultural lands, with attempts to seize them. Vast areas of land have been closed off, and other areas that were previously used for field crops are now under the control of the settlers.

Despite the village council and farmers' appeals to international organizations for intervention, there have been no results on the ground.

Al-Nazlah Al-Sharqiyah

Al-Nazlah Al-Sharqiyah is located in the northern part of Tulkarem Governorate, with a population of approximately 1,623 people according to the 2017 population census. The village covers an area of 4,840 dunams, of which a significant portion is taken by the "Hermesh" settlement.

To the east of Al-Nazlah Al-Sharqiyah are the lands of the towns of Kafr Ra'i and Ya'bad, while to the north, it borders the lands of the Khirbat Farasin village. To the west, it borders Al-Nazlah Al-Wusta, and to the south, it borders the lands of the village of Saida.

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