Palestinian Mohammad Salameh was constructing a house for his household within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, the place his not too long ago engaged son was meant to start out married life. As a substitute, earlier than development was accomplished, a gaggle of Israeli settlers seized the property.
Video filmed earlier within the week and verified by Reuters confirmed no less than six settlers shifting round on the roof of the two-storey home, which sits under a close-by hill.
Salameh stated appeals to the Israeli navy and police introduced no assist. Now he fears his house, which like many others within the Palestinian territory is surrounded by Israeli settlements and smaller outposts, is misplaced ceaselessly. Different homes within the space may endure the identical destiny, he stated.
“Solely God is aware of, if there’s regulation and order then they may go away,” Salameh stated. “In the event that they reach taking one, then the remaining will observe.”
Reuters was unable to achieve the settlers for remark. Considered one of them could possibly be seen strolling on the home’s roof on Thursday.
The Israeli navy stated it was checking Reuters‘ request for remark however had not responded by Friday. The Israeli police didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Settlements, settler assaults widen beneath Netanyahu authorities
Palestinians have for years reported damage to farmland, vandalism and attacks linked to settlement expansion. A UN inquiry reported last month that Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land had surged since 2023, rising by 130pc.
Residents of Jalud, Salameh’s village, say this week’s incident marks another troubling escalation because the settlers seized a house that was still under construction.
“They have now moved down to within no more than 100 meters from the last house in Jalud, which is also a house under construction belonging to a resident,” said Raed al-Haj Mohammad, head of the village council.
Jalud has faced five major settler attacks, he said, including the burning of homes, damage to vehicles and the uprooting of trees.
Most countries and the United Nations regard Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention’s prohibition on transferring a civilian population into occupied territory.
Israel rejects that position, saying the West Bank is disputed territory where there has been a Jewish presence for thousands of years.
Settlement building and settler violence have long been among the biggest obstacles to efforts for peace in Palestine. Even Israel’s staunchest allies, including the United States, have condemned settler actions.
Nevertheless, settlement expansion has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which relies on hardline pro-settlement parties to maintain its parliamentary majority.
For Salameh, the dispute is painfully personal. Construction on the house stalled after the Israeli assault on Gaza began in 2023, when his son could not find work and the family’s finances came under strain.
“The neighbor close by has built a two-storey house, which they will probably take too; if we lose this house, they will lose theirs,” he said.
