NABLUS, January 17, 2025 (WAFA) - A group of extremist Israeli colonists laid on Friday a layer of base course on land belonging to the village of An-Naqura, northwest of Nablus, which they had bulldozed a week earlier in preparation for establishing a new illegal colonial outpost.

Hashim Mohsen, the head of An-Naqura Village Council, informed WAFA that the colonists laid the gravel layer as a preparatory step for placing caravans and establishing a colonial outpost on the village's land.

The head of the village council said that colonists bulldozed agricultural land owned by several Palestinian residents in the Ain Qibla area almost a week ago.

Mohsen also noted that the colonists informed the landowners of their intention to establish a private recreational area and place caravans on the site. They further threatened that any attempt to approach the land would result in the destruction of all nearby greenhouses belonging to local farmers.

Mohsen pointed out that the land designated for the park is only 50 meters away from Palestinian residents’ homes.

He stated that the colonists frequently target farmers in the area, stealing their crops and water pumps and vandalizing the water networks.

Following October 7, 2023, colonists significantly escalated their attacks on the West Bank, especially after receiving the green light from the occupation government. They have systematically established new colonial outposts as part of a broader strategy to fragment the West Bank, particularly in the north.

Murad Ishtiwi, Director of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission Office in the northern West Bank, emphasized that the Israeli occupation's plan to increase the colonial population in the northern West Bank to one million by 2050 signals a continued effort toward the gradual and silent annexation of Palestinian land. This is evident in the expansion of roads, the confiscation of Palestinian resources, and the provision of water, electricity, and infrastructure networks to the illegal colonies.

T.R.