[Thursday November 21, 2013] Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded the Baten Al-Ma’sy Mountain area, in the Al-Khader town south of Bethlehem, and bulldozed Palestinians lands, uprooting them in preparation for use in the construction of new settlement units.Update: Israeli soldiers are holding a number of journalists who are trying to report the violation. The army has also detained international peace activists and tried to force them out of the area.
Ahmad Salah, Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Al-Khader, said that the soldiers surrounded the area, invaded it and, then, proceeded to bulldoze.
He noted that the Israeli government wishes to turn small illegal outposts into settlements, as they take official financial preference to settlements over outposts.
Salah added that, six months ago, Israeli settlers built a synagogue on an area which comprises more than 500 square/meters of Palestinian lands.
Settlements, built on Palestinian lands in the occupied territories, are illegitimate under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israeli settlements in different parts of the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem and the Annexation Wall, are large, completely isolated areas and communities, and are turning the territories into segregated ghettos.
