Latest news with #MahmoudMleihat
Leaders
4 days ago
- Politics
- Leaders
UN Rights Office Reports Increasing Settler Attacks in Occupied West Bank
The UN Human Rights Office said that violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is growing with increasing number of killings and attacks by settlers and security forces, according to Reuters. Violent Incidents Israel Kills American Citizens in West Bank. 'Israeli settlers and security forces have intensified their killings, attacks and harassment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the past weeks,' Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHCR), told reporters in Geneva. Israeli settlers' violence against Palestinians has sparked anger and frustration towards the US as Palestinians mourned the death of two men, one of them a Palestinian American, killed by settlers. Approximately 1 million Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law. OHCHR noted that settlers have launched 757 attacks on Palestinians or their properties since January 2025. Forcible Displacement Palestinian Bedouins Flee West Bank out of Settler Violence Since the launch of the Israeli military operation 'Iron Wall', nearly 30,000 Palestinians have suffered forcible displacement in the north of the West Bank. Last week, thirty Palestinian families were forced to leave their homes in a remote area of the occupied West Bank due to the mounting violence of Israeli settlers. Members of the Bedouin Mleihat tribe started to dismantle homes built with iron sheets and wooden boards, after years of escalating harassment and attacks by settlers. 'The settlers are armed and attack us, and the (Israeli) military protects them. We can't do anything to stop them. We can't take it anymore, so we decided to leave,' said Mahmoud Mleihat, a 50-year-old father of seven from the community. Crucially, Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has documented persistent acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in Mu'arrajat, near Jericho. Building Jewish State Palestinian Bedouins Flee West Bank out of Settler Violence In May, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel planned to build a 'Jewish Israeli state' in the occupied West Bank, according to Al-Arabiya. Katz's remarks followed Israel's announcement of the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. He also noted that the new settlements would be a clear message to French President Emmanuel Macron and his associates: they will recognize a Palestinian state on paper – but Israel will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground. Annexing West Bank In this context, fifteen Israeli Cabinet Ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party have recently pushed him to immediately annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The lawmakers have signed a petition requesting the administration 'to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (West Bank) before the end of the Knesset summer session,' which ends on July 27. They also implied that the current moment is appropriate for the annexation thanks to strong US-Israeli relations and the recent military gains. Related Topics: Israel Kills American Citizens in West Bank, Anger Turns toward US Likud Ministers Urge Netanyahu to Annex West Bank Arab Ministers Condemn Israel's Ban on West Bank Visit Short link : Post Views: 2
Leaders
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Leaders
Palestinian Bedouins Flee West Bank out of Settler Violence
Thirty Palestinian families were forced to leave their homes in a remote area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday due to the mounting violence of Israeli settlers, according to Reuters. Escalating Violence Members of the Bedouin Mleihat tribe started to dismantle homes built with iron sheets and wooden boards, after years of escalating harassment and attacks by settlers. 'The settlers are armed and attack us, and the (Israeli) military protects them. We can't do anything to stop them. We can't take it anymore, so we decided to leave,' said Mahmoud Mleihat, a 50-year-old father of seven from the community. Palestinian Bedouins Flee West Bank out of Settler Violence Crucially, Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has documented persistent acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in Mu'arrajat, near Jericho. In 2024, Israeli settlers armed with clubs attacked a Palestinian school. Meanwhile, they blocked the path of vehicles carrying Palestinians either by firing into the air or hurling stones at the vehicles in 2023. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that any acts of violence by civilians were unacceptable. A Call for Annexing West Bank Palestinian Bedouins Flee West Bank out of Settler Violence However, Fifteen Israeli Cabinet Ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party have recently pushed him to immediately annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The lawmakers have signed a petition requesting the administration 'to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (West Bank) before the end of the Knesset summer session,' which ends on July 27. They also implied that the current moment is appropriate for the annexation thanks to strong US-Israeli relations and the recent military gains. Palestinian Bedouins Flee West Bank out of Settler Violence Crucially, the petition noted that Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, stands out as a living proof of the dangers of establishing a Palestinian state. Furthermore, it described the two-state idea as a threat to Israel's national security. Consequently, it claimed that annexation would prevent future attacks on Israel. Katz's Remarks In May, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel planned to build a 'Jewish Israeli state' in the occupied West Bank, according to Al-Arabiya. Katz's remarks followed Israel's announcement of the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. 'This is a decisive response to the terrorist organizations that are trying to harm and weaken our hold on this land,' Katz said. Palestinian Bedouins Flee West Bank out of Settler Violence Katz also noted that the new settlements would be a clear message to French President Emmanuel Macron and his associates: they will recognize a Palestinian state on paper – but Israel will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground. Related Topics: Western Allies Impose Sanctions on Israeli Ministers Over West Bank Violence Saudi FM Slams Israeli 'Extremism' after West Bank Delegation Blockade Arab Ministers Condemn Israel's Ban on West Bank Visit Short link : Post Views: 14
Arab News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Facing settler threats, Palestinian Bedouins forced out of rural West Bank community
'We can't do anything to stop them. We can't take it anymore, so we decided to leave,' said Mahmoud MleihatPalestinian communities in the Jordan Valley, a sparsely populated region near the Jordan RiverJORDAN VALLEY, West Bank: Thirty Palestinian families left their home in a remote area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, saying they were forced out after years of persistent harassment and violence by Israeli families, members of the Bedouin Mleihat tribe from a shepherding community in the Jordan Valley, began dismantling homes built with iron sheets and wooden boards on Friday, overwhelmed by fears of further attacks.'The settlers are armed and attack us, and the (Israeli) military protects them. We can't do anything to stop them. We can't take it anymore, so we decided to leave,' said Mahmoud Mleihat, a 50-year-old father of seven from the the Palestinians took down their encampment, an Israeli settler armed with a rifle and several Israeli soldiers looked communities in the Jordan Valley, a sparsely populated region near the Jordan River, have faced escalating harassment from settlers in recent years, including human rights group B'Tselem has documented repeated acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in Mu'arrajat, near Jericho, where the Mleihat tribe lives. In 2024, settlers armed with clubs stormed a Palestinian school, while in 2023, armed settlers blocked the path of vehicles carrying Palestinians, with some firing into the air and others hurling stones at the vehicles.'We want to protect our children, and we've decided to leave,' Mahmoud said, describing it as a great had lived in the community since he was 10, Mahmoud military did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the settler harassment faced by the Bedouin families or about the families leaving their about settler violence in the West Bank, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters on Monday that any acts of violence by civilians were unacceptable and that individuals should not take the law into their own say Israeli settlement expansion has accelerated in recent years, displacing Palestinians, who have remained on their land under military occupation since Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 war.B'Tselem representative Sarit Michaeli said the Mleihat tribe had faced 'intense settler violence' that included, theft, vandalism, and assault. This week, she said, the settlers had established an informal outpost near the Palestinians' military was failing to protect Palestinians from attacks by settlers, who she said acted with Mleihat, 28, said the Bedouin community, which had lived there for 40 years, would now be scattered across different parts of the Jordan Valley, including nearby Jericho.'People are demolishing their own homes with their own hands, leaving this village they've lived in for decades, the place where their dreams were built,' she said, describing the forced displacement of 30 families as a 'new Nakba.'The Nakba, meaning 'catastrophe' in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during 1948 at the birth of the state of countries consider Israeli settlements a violation of the Geneva Conventions which ban settling civilians on occupied land; Israel says the settlements are lawful and justified by historic and biblical Jewish ties to the land.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dozens of Palestinian Bedouin families flee Israeli violence in West Bank
At least 50 Palestinian families from a Bedouin community in the occupied West Bank have fled their homes, following repeated assaults and harassment from Israeli settlers under the protection of Israeli forces, according to media reports and a local rights group. Thirty Palestinian families were forcibly displaced on Friday morning from the Arab Mleihat Bedouin community, northwest of Jericho, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, while 20 others were displaced on Thursday. Before the forced displacement, the community was home to 85 families, numbering about 500 people. A Palestinian rights group, the Al-Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, said the families were forced to leave after years trying to defend themselves 'without any support'. Attacks by Israeli forces and Israelis from illegal settlements have surged across the occupied West Bank since Israel's war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023. Alia Mleihat told Wafa that her family was forced to flee to the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp, south of Jericho, after armed settlers threatened her and other families at gunpoint. Separately, Mahmoud Mleihat, a 50-year-old father of seven from the community, told the Reuters news agency that they could not take it any more, so they decided to leave. 'The settlers are armed and attack us, and the [Israeli] military protects them. We can't do anything to stop them,' he said. Hassan Mleihat, director of the Al-Baidar Organization, said families in the community began dismantling their tents, following sustained provocation and attacks by Israeli settlers and the army. Footage posted on social media and verified by Al Jazeera's Sanad agency showed trucks loaded with possessions driving away from the area at night. Hassan told Wafa that the attacks also threatened to erase the community, and 'open the way for illegal colonial expansion'.Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has documented repeated acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in Mu'arrajat, near Jericho, where the Mleihat tribe lives. In 2024, settlers armed with clubs stormed a Palestinian school, while in 2023, armed settlers blocked the path of vehicles carrying Palestinians, with some firing into the air and others hurling stones at the vehicles. 'We want to protect our children, and we've decided to leave,' Mahmoud said, describing it as a great injustice. He had lived in the community since he was 10, Mahmoud said. Alia Mleihat told Reuters the Bedouin community, which had lived there for 40 years, would now be scattered across different parts of the Jordan Valley, including nearby Jericho. 'People are demolishing their own homes with their own hands, leaving this village they've lived in for decades, the place where their dreams were built,' she said, describing the forced displacement of 30 families as a 'new Nakba'. The Nakba, meaning 'catastrophe' in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes during 1948 at the birth of the state of military has not yet commented on the settler harassment faced by the Bedouin families or about the families leaving their community. Asked about violence in the occupied West Bank, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters on Monday that any acts of violence by civilians were unacceptable and that individuals should not take the law into their own hands. Activists say Israeli settlement expansion has accelerated in recent years, displacing Palestinians, who have remained on their land under military occupation since Israel captured the occupied West Bank in the 1967 war. Most countries consider Israeli settlements illegal and a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which ban settling civilians on occupied land.
