OFFICIAL: SETTLERS EXPAND ILLEGAL OUTPOST NEAR NABLUS

Nablus, 16 Safar 1436/9 December 2014 (MINA) – Israeli settlers have been expanding an illegal settlement outpost in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian official said Monday (8/12).

Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an this was the second day in a row that settlers had leveled land to expand the outpost of Ahiya near the Palestinian village of Jalud, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The excavation work is being carried out on private Palestinian lands owned by Abdullah al-Hajj Muhammad and Rashid al-Hajj Muhammad from Jalud.

Over 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.

Some settlers act without approval to expand settlements or create new ones in the West Bank, building outposts that are illegal even by Israeli government standards.

In some cases, these settlement outposts are “legalized” by Israel, and in rare cases they are dismantled.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are rarely granted permission to build in the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control, or in East Jerusalem. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)