OCHA says 'Legalizing' Settlement Outposts Can Provoke Violence

JERUSALEM, January 20, 2012 (WAFA) – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA) strongly criticized Friday Israeli attempt to give legal status to settlement outposts built in the West Bank without government authorization saying this move may provoke violence.

It said in its Protection of Civilians weekly report that many such outposts are located on private Palestinian land “forcibly taken over” by Israeli settlers.

“While the recent dismantlement of structures in settlement outposts is welcome, there are concerns over new initiatives aimed at ‘legalizing’ these settlement outposts under Israeli law that are being currently promoted, and partially implemented, both by the Israeli government and at the Knesset,” it said.

“These attempts to ‘legalize’ outposts reinforce an atmosphere of impunity and are likely to encourage further violence and encroachment on Palestinian land,” said OCHA.

It said in the report that Israeli forces and settlers injured 17 Palestinians throughout the West Bank during the past week.

Eight of the Palestinians sustained injuries in clashes with Israeli forces during raids on the village of Azzun, in the Qalqiliya area, and Madama in the Nablus region.

Another four were injured in clashes during a weekly demonstration against the closure of the main entrance to Kafr Qaddum village, also near Qalqiliya.

Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured two Palestinians in Hebron and stoned and injured another man near Shilo settlement in the Ramallah region, said the report.

Settlers also vandalized 40 olive trees belonging to Palestinians near Kfar Tappuah settlement; stoned or set on fire eight Palestinian vehicles in the Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron governorates; and wrote graffiti on the walls of a mosque in Deir Istiya, Salfit area.

“These incidents took place in the context of the ‘price tag’ strategy, after the Israeli authorities demolished 10 structures in an outpost near Kiryat Arba’ Israeli settlement on 11 January,” said OCHA.

The international humanitarian organization said the Israeli authorities had also demolished 12 Palestinian-owned structures, nine of which were related to a source of livelihood for Palestinian families, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits.

Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA