Israeli troops started expanding a military base, today, in the city of
Hebron, in the south of the West Bank at the expense of farmers' land.
According to local residents, soldiers used caterpillar bulldozers to expand the military base named Barokh, guarded by gunmen from the nearby illegal settlements of Keryat Arba and Kharsinah.
The construction taking place between these two settlements is taking farm land belonging to people from Hebron. Local residents say that the army is also installing a wall which is approximately six meters high in addition to a new road, which will be for the exclusive use of settlers.
All this takes place at the expense of farm land and olive orchards, which is the sole source of income for the farmers who own it. When it was originally built, the Barokh military base confiscated 50 dunams of Palestinian farm land, in the beginning of the 70s.
This is a strategic position for the army to have a base as from here they can conduct military operations in the south of the West Bank.
