The United Nations has condemned the seizure of eight Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, saying the settlers assaulted residents and forced dozens of people to flee.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Thursday that the settlers reportedly “used live ammunition” during the takeover on the previous day.
They also “physically assaulted Palestinian residents” and threw stones, “prompting the flight of families for their safety”, he said.
Some of those displaced now “lack adequate shelter”, while the Israeli military has since declared the area a closed military zone, preventing humanitarian workers from reaching those affected.
“We once again condemn all of these violent activities by the Israeli settlers,” he said.
The incident involved some 30 Israeli settlers, who came to take over the houses in Ein a-Duyuk a-Tahta on the outskirts of Jericho on Wednesday afternoon, according to Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now.
The group said the settlers “assaulted and robbed two Israeli activists and shot a Palestinian man in the leg” during the seizure.
The settlers claimed they legally purchased the homes, but Palestinian officials say the sale documents were forged.
Hanan Greenwood, a settler representative, told the AFP news agency that Nachala, a right-wing Israeli organisation, had bought the eight homes “with our help”. He said he was “very excited” to be there.
Nachala funds the establishment of new settlements in the occupied West Bank and campaigns for Israel to annex the territory.
But Hussein Hamayel, governor of the Jericho region, told the AFP that the land belongs to the Palestinian Authority and cannot be sold.
“What is being promoted is a forgery, not a sale, and what is being circulated is settler propaganda,” Hamayel said.
The land is located in the West Bank’s Area C, which has been under Israeli control since the Oslo Accords of the 1990s. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements there, which are illegal under international law.
Settler pogroms in the occupied West Bank have approached all-time highs this year, and several Palestinian communities in the greater Jericho area have already been driven from their homes.
Residents said they feared the new settlers would step up pogroms in the area and bring a heavier military presence.
That pattern has played out in Hebron, where 400 settlers live in the Old City among 250,000 Palestinians.
According to Peace Now, the Israeli presence in Hebron has notably “led to constant friction and violence, severe restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement” and also “resulted in the displacement of thousands of Palestinians ”.
