Settlers have established a new colonial outpost in the Al-Ma'rajat area, northwest of Jericho. This is the fifth of its kind along the Al-Ma'rajat road.
Hassan Malihat, general supervisor of the Al-Baidar organization for the defense of Bedouin rights, confirmed to WAFA on Tuesday that settlers had set up a tent, brought water tanks, and an electric generator a few days ago, and had begun fencing off the site in preparation for turning it into a settlement. This is a scene that has become a recurring occurrence in various areas of the West Bank.
Eyewitnesses from the Arab al-Malihat community, who were close to the site, confirmed that the outpost was established under the protection of occupation soldiers. Excavation and leveling equipment were installed, while settlers began erecting iron fences.
He added, "The new outpost indicates a 'comprehensive colonial plan' aimed at controlling an important corridor separating Jericho from the central West Bank, and restricting the movement of citizens between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank."
The witnesses continued, describing what is happening as a "gradual catastrophe" being carried out without bulldozers or direct displacement, but no less dangerous than mass expulsion. They warned that the colonial project aims to dismantle Bedouin communities and force them into forced migration.
She explained that "the outposts begin as a simple tent and then develop into full-fledged settlements," considering that "the settlers operate as unofficial arms of the occupation government," with full support from the Israeli military establishment.
Al-Baydar stressed that this plan cannot be separated from the Israeli policy aimed at emptying Area C of its Palestinian citizens, especially the Bedouins, whose facilities are being demolished and who are deprived of water and energy, while the settlers are granted extensive concessions.
Residents of the area expressed their anger at the international community's silence and the inability of official Palestinian authorities to confront this settlement expansion. One of the Arab al-Malihat community's leaders said, "They don't shoot at us or deport us in trucks. They just make our lives difficult until we leave voluntarily. This is another form of ethnic cleansing."
The organization concluded its statement by calling for serious international action, including ongoing field monitoring and daily documentation of violations. It asserted that what is taking place in Al-Ma'rajat is a "slow-motion massacre being perpetrated away from the cameras," urging human rights organizations to treat the situation as a case of ethnic cleansing proceeding at a rapid pace.
שתף את דעתך
A new "colonial outpost" in Al-Ma'rajat, west of Jericho