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Outpost. File? Published by IMEMC News

Published by Haaretz (Captions by Haaretz)

Israeli security forces remove a tent set up by in the West Bank by activists, on Wednesday. Credit: Ohad Zwigenberg

Soldiers at a checkpoint near Na'ale settlement, Wednesday. Credit: Moti Milrod

Soldiers and settlers in the West Bank, Wednesday. Credit: Ohad Zwigenberg

Settler-activists march near Ariel settlement on Wednesday. Credit: Moti Milrod

Map: "The areas activists plan to erect new outpost settlements".

Hundreds of activists, most of them teenagers, set up tents in five locations across the West Bank on Wednesday. Credit: Ohad Zwigenberg
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by IMEMC News
July 21, 2022

BETHLEHEM, Thursday, July 21, 2022 (WAFA) – Israeli settlers Wednesday evening broke into Palestinian land close to Al-Lubban al-Gharbi village, west of Ramallah, to set up a new colonial settlement outpost, according to local sources.

They said that a convoy of buses packed with hundreds of settlers, under military protection, barged their way into Palestinian land close to the village, and others brought their vehicles into the site as a prelude to taking over hundreds of donums of Palestinian land and establishing a new colonial settlement outpost.

Still in Ramallah district, settlers assaulted Palestinians at the Ein ‘Ayub, also written as Ein Ayoub junction, close to Ras Karkar village, west of the city, as the latter were raising Palestine flags in protest of new settlement construction.

Earlier on Wednesday, settlers sprayed toxic chemicals on some 85 grapevines belonging to Jamal As‘ad, a farmer, in the lands of al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem.

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property is commonplace in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

It includes arsons of property and mosques, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

Over 700,000 Israeli settlers live in Jewish-only colonial settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.

Israel’s nation-state law that passed last July stated that building and strengthening the settlements is a “national interest.”
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Settlers Camp Out in Six Locations Across the West Bank, Planning to Establish New Outposts

Israeli forces deployed checkpoints across the West Bank to block the settler activists, who want to 'influence government policy,' according to one of them

by Hagar Shefaz for Haaretz
July 20, 2022

Thousands of activists, most of them teenagers, set up tents in six locations across the West Bank on Wednesday, as part of a months-long plan by the Nachala settlement movement to establish new settlement outposts.

Army and police forces deployed checkpoints across the West Bank to block them and confiscated some equipment. Security forces prevented cars and buses from crossing into the areas slated for the new outposts, but the activists camped there anyway.

One of the outposts, near the town of Kiryat Arba, was dismantled by the IDF. Hundreds of activists have pledged to sleep at the remaining five outposts overnight and stay there over the next few days. Five teens were taken into questioning by police, but were later released without being charged with a crime.

The Israeli military said law enforcement activity continued into the evening, with forces working to remove people from the closed military zone declared earlier by Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, chief of Central Command.

"We are going to establish a new community," Jonathan Kellerman, a resident of the Kerem Reim settlement, said as he arrived with his wife and four children to establish a new outpost near the Neria settlement in the Ramallah area.

"We do not intend to confront anyone," Kellerman, 32, added. "The soldiers are part of us, some of us have relatives who are here as soldiers," he said. "The goal is to influence government policy."

"It doesn't make sense that the Palestinian Authority is taking over Area C without any sort of [Israeli] enforcement, while Jewish construction is not being allowed," Kellerman argued, "I'm for Israel enforcing the law in every square meter of illegal construction in the West Bank".

Activists with anti-settlement group Peace Now arrived at the starting point of the settlers' march near Ariel in order to block the protest, leading security forces to try to disperse the left-wing activists.

On Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz instructed security forces to prevent the establishment of the outposts, which the Nachala movement has been publicly announcing in recent months. It also led a fundraising campaign, raising 5 million shekels ($1.45 million) for it.

Gantz said he directed security officials to notify those intending to participate in the establishment that the operation was illegal. The police and military issued a joint statement stating that "the establishment of outposts in Judea and Samaria without proper permit is illegal and prohibited," referring to the biblical name of the West Bank.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal by international law, but Israeli law recognizes them. Independent attempts by settlers to set up new settlement outposts are generally deemed illegal, but some illegal outposts have achieved legal status through state recognition.

Nachala is also behind the establishment of Evyatar, another illegal outpost.

In recent months, the organization held conferences and gatherings aimed at recruiting people for their latest operation. The movement instructed participants to stock up on water and food that would last until Friday afternoon, and prepare for a "long stay."
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Israeli Forces Evacuate Short-lived Outposts Set Up by West Bank Settler Movement

Thousands of far-right settlers affiliated with the Nachala settler organization attempted to set up five new outposts across the West Bank on Wednesday, a land grab which they prepared for months in advance through a gargantuan fundraising effort

by Hagar Shefaz for Haaretz
July 21, 2022 9:25 am

Israeli forces evacuated day-old encampments and detained several activists on Thursday morning, after thousands of far-right settlers affiliated with the Nachala settler organization attempted to set up five new outposts across the West Bank on Wednesday. The evacuation put a stop to an operation the movement had been preparing over the course of recent months.

During the evacuation, 11 activists were detained and later released. Near the Barkan settlement in the northern West Bank, Israeli forces and activists reportedly scuffled, leading to three activists being lightly wounded. An encampment which was set up in Kiryat Arba and immediately evacuated yesterday was rebuilt overnight by activists who remained in the area.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked took to Twitter to criticize what she said was a violent evacuation of the makeshift outposts. "The police should save their energy to eradicate real crime in the country," Shaked wrote. "The wonderful youth who have mobilized to settle this country are a real inspiration."

Public Security Minister Omar Bar-Lev charged back at Shaked for her remarks, arguing that "a senior minister in the government should not encourage breaches of law and criminal activity on the backs of dedicated police officers – only because she is desperate to flatter her base and pass the electoral threshold."

On Wednesday thousands of activists, most of them teenagers, set up tents in six locations across the West Bank as part of a months-long plan by the Nachala settlement movement to establish new outposts.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal by international law, but Israeli law recognizes them. Independent attempts by settlers to set up new settlement outposts are generally deemed illegal, but some illegal outposts have achieved legal status through state recognition.

On Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz instructed police and military forces to block the establishment of the outposts, which the Nachala movement has been publicly announcing in recent months. It also led a complex fundraising campaign, raising 5 million shekels ($1.45 million) for the campaign while enlisting thousands of volunteers.

The group held conferences and gatherings aimed at recruiting people for their latest operation, instructing participants to stock up on water and food that would last until Friday afternoon, and prepare for a "long stay."

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