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At least 20 Palestinian families have been forced to start leaving Mughayir Al Dir, the last remaining herding community in eastern periphery of Ramallah after Israeli settlers planted an outpost next to their homes last Thursday evening. This follows the forcible transfer of seven other communities in this area as a result of settler violence and harassment coupled with Israeli authorities’ inaction or support. Palestinians have now been completely pushed out of these areas, enabling Israeli settlement expansion and consolidation of annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Also on Thursday night, mobs of settlers torched dozens of Palestinian homes and vehicles and terrorised the town of Bruqin, Salfit. No settler was arrested by Israeli security forces, despite the fact they have been deployed in the town during the past week conducting searches, arrests, and demolitions.
OHCHR calls Israeli authorities and other countries with influence to stop this trend and for steps to be taken to facilitate the safe return Palestinians to their homes. As the ICJ ruled in its Advisory Opinion in July last year, Israel is under an obligation to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible, and must cease immediately all new settlement activities, and evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
ENDS
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