Israeli Violations in the time of Corona:-

• Violation: settlers set up tents as a keystone for an outpost.

• Location: Yetma village / South Nablus city.

• Date: April 5^th 2020.

• Perpetrators: settlers of the illegal settlement “Rahalim”.

• Victims: People of Yetma village.

• Description:

While the world is witnessing a global pandemic, a group of settlers set up number of residential tents and wooden rooms on vast areas of agricultural lands that belong to Yetma village , at a location known as “Al-Marhat” close to “Rahalim” settlement , which is built on confiscated lands from the village.

Reportedly, the targeted location has a total area of 60 dunums in the buffer zone of “Rahalim” illegal settlements, at the time Palestinian original owners of the lands are not allowed to access them, settlers set up tents and start building an outpost on them. most of the lands belong to citizens from U’baid family in Yasouf and Sonubar family from Yatma.

The responsible on colonization file Ghassan Daghlas toldLRC :

“in light of the current emergency status due to the corona pandemic, and the tough conditions imposed on Palestinians by the Israeli right wing radical government, settlers were given the green line to carry out assaults and attacks against Palestinians and their properties. This sort of attacks occur frequently in Palestinian suburbs , settlers work day and night to take over more and more Palestinian lands under the protection of the occupation forces.”

The Israeli occupation legislative system issues laws that “justify” taking over Palestinian lands under several claims such as “organizing the market”, such policies will leave a clear impact on the lives of hundreds of Palestinian families who depend on agriculture for living.

About Rahalim:

The colony started in 1990 as a confiscated land for the favor of building a military base in Yatma. In 2000, the Israeli occupation allowed colonists to install 19 caravans in the area.

Today, and after 12 years, Rahalim colony became one of the most confiscating colonies where it took over 450 dunums from the villages of Iskaka, Yasuf and Yatma( Geographical Information System –LRC). In addition, the occupation has been planning on establishing new outposts to found the so-called grater Rahalim.

About Yatma village[1]:
14 Km south Nablus city , Yatma is surrounded by Bita (North), As-Sawiya and Yasuf (west), Qablan (east) and As-Sawiya village (south). Yatma has a total population of 2853 people according to 2007 censusÙˆ with a total area of 2952 dunums , of which 392 dunums are a built up area for the village.
Bypass roads devoured 164 dunums , as segments of bypasses 60 and 505 pass-through the village . Oslo accords divided the village’s lands as the following:
• B area : with a total area of 912 dunums (31%).
• C area: with a total area of 2040 dunums (69%).

[1] Source: GIS –LRC.

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