Daijiworld Media Network – Ramallah
Ramallah, Feb 17: Israeli settlers have reportedly forced 15 Palestinian families to dismantle their homes and leave the northern Jordan Valley in the northeastern occupied West Bank, according to local officials.
Mahdi Daraghmeh, head of the al-Malih Village Council, told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that the families began tearing down their homes amid escalating assaults and threats from settlers. Seven more families from the nearby Maita community had been compelled to leave days earlier under similar circumstances.
In a separate incident, settlers allegedly assaulted residents of Nabi Samwil village, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, injuring one man who was hospitalised with bruises, Wafa reported.
The developments come as Israeli forces have intensified raids and demolitions across parts of the occupied West Bank, including Nablus, Al Khader and Salfit.
The Israeli government has in recent months advanced measures that critics say strengthen its hold over the territory, including steps to ease the purchase of Palestinian land by settlers and to expand the registration of land as Israeli state property.
Earlier this week, the government approved a plan to designate extensive areas of the West Bank as “state property”, effectively shifting the burden onto Palestinians to prove ownership.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt described the move as a serious escalation aimed at accelerating settlement activity, land confiscation and consolidating control over occupied Palestinian territory.
Palestinian officials warn that such actions could pave the way for formal annexation, undermining prospects for a Palestinian state envisioned in various United Nations resolutions.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli military operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have intensified. Palestinian authorities report that at least 1,114 Palestinians have been killed, around 11,500 injured and approximately 22,000 arrested in the territory during this period.