Israeli army arrests 11 in West Bank, raids Al Jazeera office again
Illegal settlers cut down olive trees, assault shepherds in fresh wave of attacks
ISTANBUL
Israeli forces arrested at least 11 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank early Saturday in raids that included a second closure notice for Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, as illegal settlers escalated attacks on farmland and residents.
Troops stormed the Qatari broadcaster’s office in central Ramallah and posted an official notice extending its forced shutdown for another 60 days, local sources said.
The military first raided the network’s office last September, ordering a 45-day closure, seizing equipment and documents, and banning the use of its vehicles. Since then, Israeli authorities have extended the ban repeatedly, with the previous renewal issued in April.
In Bethlehem, Israeli forces arrested five young men near a spring in the town of Nahalin, according to Palestinian state news agency Wafa.
In the southern area of Masafer Yatta, near Hebron, two brothers were detained while herding livestock in the village of al-Mufaqarah. Another man was arrested in the town of al-Shuyukh, northeast of Hebron.
In the northern city of Jenin, Israeli troops raided a house in the Wadi Burqin area and detained three men.
Attacks by illegal settlers intensify
Illegal Israeli settlers cut down more than 100 olive saplings on Saturday morning in the Marj area between the villages of al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, Palestinian officials said.
Elsewhere, settlers attacked a Bedouin community north of Jericho and chased Palestinian shepherds from the Tel Ma’in area of Masafer Yatta, according to anti-settlement activist Osama Makhamreh.
In May alone, Israeli soldiers and settlers carried out 1,691 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, with 415 of them attributed to illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian government’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.
Since the start of Israel’s assault on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 973 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
