PALESTINE
Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:19 pm - Jerusalem Time
Abu Rahma: We warn against forcing shepherds to obtain permits because of the pastoral outposts
Ramallah - exclusively for "Jerusalem" - Abdullah Abu Rahma, Director of the Popular Action Department in the Wall Resistance and Settlement Commission, warned against forcing sheep shepherds , especially in Bedouin communities, to obtain permits for grazing, in the event that the Israeli occupation authorities legalize the pastoral outposts that have been established in areas classified as C.
Abu Rahma said in an interview with Al-Quds.com: "The goal of legalizing these outposts is to control more land, and harass Palestinians, especially shepherds in Bedouin communities, where the occupation authorities are trying to set conditions for the legalization of these outposts for settlers, including The lands on which the outposts are built must be state lands, as well as obtaining permits for grazing.
Abu Rahma continued, "Issuing these permits to settlers means giving free rein to the settlers, in exchange for harassing the Palestinians. If the shepherds were allowed, it would be through a process of impediment, thus preventing the entry of pastoral lands and displacing the shepherds, in return for encouraging the pastoral outposts and increasing their spread."
According to Abu Rahma, the pastoral settlement outposts, even if they were established on several dunums, control hundreds of dunums in their surroundings, and there is currently talk about these outposts controlling about 240,000 dunums.
Abu Rahma stressed that there is a noticeable increase in the number of pastoral settlement outposts, which reached 66 in the last ten years in different areas of the West Bank, and among those outposts were 46 that were established during the last five years, and all 66 outposts controlled an area of 240 One thousand dunams, in contrast, all the settlements established on the lands of the West Bank control 67 thousand dunams, which means controlling more land because of that outpost.
According to Abu Rahma, there is talk of a plan to legalize 30 pastoral outposts, by trying to enact laws to legitimize them.
Abu Rahma pointed out that there is cooperation between the Civil Administration of the occupation army and settler organizations, noting the cooperation of the Civil Administration with the secretary of the "Amanah" movement, Ze'ev Hefer, which has been operating since the eighties of the last century, and has a series of companies aimed at leaking lands, noting that Hefer is One of the plotters to assassinate mayors in the West Bank in the 1980s.
On the other hand, Abu Rahma affirms that despite these Israeli attempts, we must not surrender, we must continue the resistance until the last breath, and reject the displacement process, and work must be done to strengthen the steadfastness of the citizens in the areas targeted by those outposts, and there must be a movement A broad Palestinian diplomat, as well as the pursuit of international law, to try to repel that settlement attack.
The occupation's endeavor to legalize pastoral settlement outposts comes as part of attempts to control areas classified as "C", which constitute 60% of the area of the West Bank.
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Abu Rahma: We warn against forcing shepherds to obtain permits because of the pastoral outposts