Israeli settlers occupy Christian village near Bethlehem

St Nicholas Church in Beit Jala. 6 August 2013, 14:55:09 Wiki image by SalibaQ

Source: WAFA/Mena

The Israeli authorities have officially announced that they are building a new illegal settlement in Jabal al-Makhrur in the town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem.

Historian William Dalrymple writes: "The Israelis are eliminating one of the last Christian Palestinians strongholds in the West Bank and the place I chose to stay when I was researching the Palestinian Christians in From the Holy Mountain. It is a place with an incredibly ancient history, a cradle of Christianity, and its people have some of the closest DNA matches to the people of the time of Christ. Why is no one reporting this?"

On X (Twitter ) he writes: "Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich officially announces building a new settlement in Jabal al-Makhrur in the town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem. The settlers and the army have begun expelling the citizens and declaring it a closed military zone. Many of its residents are holding a sit-in in a tent and refuse to leave despite all the attacks. This is one of the last Christian Palestinian villages."

The Palestinian health ministry said one 23-year-old man was killed and others suffered critical gunshot injuries when Israeli settlers opened fire. Shocking footage circulated on social media showed houses and cars smouldering after being set alight by Molotov cocktails thrown by the Israeli settlers.

The fatal attacks came hours after an Israeli airstrike elsewhere in the West Bank killed two other young Palestinians.

More than 600 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed since October 7, most of whom died as a result of incursions by illegal Israeli settlers.

The White House has declared Israeli settlers' attacks in the West Bank 'unacceptable' and insisted they "must stop."

"Israeli authorities must take measures to protect all communities from harm, this includes intervening to stop such violence, and holding all perpetrators of such violence to account," a White House spokesperson said.

See also: New Settlement, expanding outposts, represent wholesale attack on World Heritage Site of Land of Olives and Vines - Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir - a joint alert by Peace Now, Combatants for Peace, Emek Shaveh: https://emekshaveh.org/en/new-settlement-battir/