Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers attempted on Friday midday to steal Palestinian-owned sheep in the village of Al-Maniya, southeast of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. Local sources told the Palestine News Agency WAFA that armed colonizers attacked Palestinian shepherds while they were herding their flocks and tried to seize several sheep.
The shepherds intercepted the colonizers and forced them away, preventing the theft, WAFA reported. Residents said the village of Al Maniya has faced repeated colonizer attacks, including a major incident last week in which illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers broke into the area and stole 80 sheep from local farmers.
Shepherds told IMEMC they filed a report with the Israeli police, but authorities took no action regarding last week’s theft. These incidents form part of a growing pattern of colonizer violence across the occupied West Bank, particularly targeting rural communities whose livelihoods depend on livestock and access to grazing lands.
