A group of illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers abducted Palestinian farmer Yousef Abdul-Rahman Shakarna, in his sixties, on Tuesday afternoon while he was working his land in the Jabal Banias area west of Nahhalin, southwest of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
Local sources reported that Shakarna was plowing his land when colonizers assaulted him, beating him before tying him up and abducting him to an unknown location.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that Israeli occupation forces were present in the area and provided protection to the colonizers during the assault, reflecting systematic collusion between the army and colonizer militias.
This crime is part of a growing campaign targeting Palestinian farmers during the agricultural season, aimed at preventing them from accessing their lands and forcing them to abandon them, paving the way for illegal colonial expansion.
Nahhalin, surrounded by illegal Israeli colonies, has long suffered repeated attacks on its lands and farmers, including the uprooting of olive trees, destruction of crops, and physical assaults on residents.
Local institutions demanded immediate disclosure of Shakarna’s whereabouts and safety, holding the occupation fully responsible for his life.
Families in the town expressed deep concern, stressing that this is not the first time farmers have been subjected to such attacks, amid a complete absence of accountability or effective international intervention.
These practices violate Palestinians’ right to live safely on their land and expose the integrated colonial system that combines direct colonizer violence with official support from occupation forces.
The abduction of Yousef Shakarna underscores a systematic policy of targeting Palestinian presence in Bethlehem and across the West Bank.
