Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers continued their assaults on Friday evening against Palestinian residents east of the town of Ethna, west of Hebron in the southern West Bank, attempting to steal a large flock of sheep in the Far’a area east of the town.
Mohammad al‑Azazma, a resident of the area, said a group of colonizers who had already seized local lands and established a new colony outpost on them tried to steal 150 sheep belonging to Mithqal Abu Hmeid.
He said local residents confronted the colonizers, prevented the theft, and stated that the colonizers have been using force and intimidation in an effort to push Palestinian families out of the area.
Residents reported that colonizers have, for the past two years, prevented Palestinians from working their lands, seized Ein Far’a, the only water source in the area, and carved out a network of roads connecting nearby hilltops in preparation for expanding newly established outposts.
These actions accompany ongoing assaults on residents and farmers, including breaking into homes, physical attacks, abductions, and the confiscation of vehicles and agricultural equipment.
Colonizers also seized the Nabi Saleh shrine and raised the Israeli flag on its roof, preventing Palestinians from accessing the site.
In related news, a paramilitary colonizer invaded the residence of Mohammad Al-Jabarin in the eastern areas of Shu’ab Al-Batem in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, to intimidate the family and try to force them to leave.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment and acts of terror against civilian populations.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
Articles 53 and 147, prohibit the destruction of civilian property and classify pillage as a war crime.
