Israeli forces raided the towns of Araba and Yabod, to the southwest of Jenin, provoking clashes with residents on Monday, according to local and security sources.Forces stormed the two towns in a combing campaign, setting up ambushes while patrolling the towns’ streets and alleys and interrogating residents, WAFA reports.
In Araba, clashes erupted between angered residents and soldiers who fired rubber-coated steel bullets, though no injuries or abductions were reported.
To the south, Israeli settlers again followed suit with the current string of Israeli military actions by chopping down 15 olive trees in the Abu Ar-Rish valley, to the north of Beit Ummar, Hebron district.
According to spokesperson for the Anti-settlement Popular Committee, Mohammad ‘Ayyad, the vandals were from Beir ‘Ayn, an illegal settlement constructed on land belonging to Beit Ummar.
This particular piece of land has been subject to numerous attacks by settlers, over the past six yearsm in which over 300 trees have been uprooted, ‘Ayyad noted.
WAFA further reports that, although an Israeli court ruled for a barbed wire fence to be installed around the 80 dunum or so area, in order to protect it against such attacks, Israeli forces have ignored the ruling, and settlers continue their attacks unabated.
