Israeli settlers, today, plowed land and performed religious rituals on lands recently confiscated from the nearby Palestinian villages of Deir Istiya and Haris, in the northern West Bank. Witnesses said that bulldozers from the Revava settlement, northwest of Salfit, plowed the lands in order to expand the settlement, according to Ma’an.
Settlers also entered the lands around Haris village and performed religious rituals on lands confiscated from Palestinian villagers by the army on Saturday.
On Saturday, Israeli forces notified the village council that they would confiscate 100 dunams (25 acres) of the village’s private land.
Witnesses added that the settlers have continuously seized lands from the villages of Haris and Deir Istiya, in order to expand their settlement.
Researcher Khalid Maali said that Revava — one of 23 settlements in the Salfit district — was established in 1991, on lands belonging to Deir Istiya, Haris, and Qarawat Bani Hassan.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.
