BETHLEHEM, Monday, November 19, 2018 (WAFA) – Israeli army Monday forced a Palestinian farmer and his family in Ein Qassis area, to the west of al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem city, to leave their privately-owned land at gunpoint under the pretext of ‘security reasons’, according to a local activist.
Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the Anti-Settlement Committee in al-Khader town, told WAFA Israeli soldiers forced the family to their land at gunpoint, and threatened to detain the farmer if he returned to his 150 dunums of land, which is located near the illegal Israeli settlement outpost of Sidi Boaz.
He added that Israeli soldiers and settles have uprooted around 400 olive saplings from the area during the current year.
Ein Qassis has been subjected to numerous attacks by Israeli forces in the past years; Palestinians have been assaulted often by the army, including the unleashing of attack dogs against them.
Sidi Boaz, also known as Nevi Daniel North, was illegally established in 2002 when settlers from the illegal Nevi Daniel settlement took over a hilltop about 1.5 kilometers north of Nevi Daniel, and since then they started harassing people and closing roads repeatedly in an attempt to force its Palestinian owners to leave their lands for the settlers.
K.T./T.R.
