Ramallah, March, 3, 2024: The head of the Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), Mu’ayyad Shaa’ban, declared that the Israeli occupation authorities and colonists carried out 1705 attacks during February 2025.
He pointed out in the monthly report of the Commission, “Violations of the Israeli Occupation State & Colonizers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories”, that the occupation forces carried out 1475 attacks, while the colonizers carried out 230 attacks. These violations were concentrated in Nablus Governorate, which witnessed 300 attacks, followed by Hebron Governorate, which witnessed 267 attacks, and Ramallah Governorate where 263 attacks were recorded.
He noted that the attacks included armed attacks on Palestinian villages, imposing facts on the ground, field executions, vandalism, land bulldozing, uprooting trees, seizure of property, and the establishment of closures and barriers that restrict the connections within Palestinian territories.
The cruel wave of colonial terrorism continues.
Mr Shaa’ban added that the colonizers' attacks were primarily focused in the governorates of Nablus and Hebron, with 43 attacks recorded in each area. Meanwhile, Ramallah governorate experienced 38 attacks, while Jerusalem had 25 attacks. Additionally, he noted that the colonizers committed 68 acts of vandalism and theft against Palestinian property, affecting vast areas of land. These attacks also led to the uprooting of 642 trees, of which there were 610 olive trees. The uprooted trees included 292 in Hebron, 250 in Jenin, and 100 in Jerusalem.
He added that last February, the colonizers systematically targeted “Arab Al-Malihat” community, located northwest of Jericho. They paved a colonial road around the community, set fire to the community’s mosque, and carried out continuous attacks on residents' property and livestock. This is part of an effort to displace the community and clear the area for the colonial project.
Mr. Shaa’ban added that the attack on citizens' livestock through theft, killing, slaughtering and burning has become one of the tools of the colonizers in attacking Palestinian villages and Bedouin communities with direct intent to cause the greatest damage to the safe people in these areas, pointing out that what happened in the village of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, through the theft of more than 900 livestock by armed colonizers falls within the framework of the criminal behavior protected by the official institution in the occupying state, which encourage the terrorism of those colonizers and deprives the Palestinians of their right to follow up on these cases in order to restore their rights and hold the perpetrators of the crimes accountable, stressing that the Commission, despite the complexities and restrictions of the occupation, will continue its efforts to support the steadfastness of the citizens and follow up on their cases legally at all levels in order to protect them and restore their rights.
Attempt to establish 8 new colonial outposts:
Since the beginning of last February, the colonizers have attempted to establish eight new colonial outposts, most of which were agricultural. These outposts are planned to be located in various areas, including two in Tubas Governorate, as well as one each in Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tulkarm, and Nablus. Mr. Shaa’ban emphasized that the escalation of attempts to establish these outposts is part of a broader strategy to segregate the Palestinian geography and impose control over the land. The colonizers aim to implement changes on the ground, which are then legitimized by official entities that transform these changes into reality through legislation, establishment, and provision of services to create recognized colonial sites.
The Israeli occupation authorities seized 6 dunums and allocated 16 thousand dunums for the benefit of colonizers’ grazing.
Mr. Shaa’ban also stated that the occupation authorities seized 6 dunums of citizens' land last February through three seizure orders for military purposes. These orders aimed at paving sections of roads that connect established colonies to main streets, thereby facilitating the movement of colonizers while restricting the movement of Palestinian citizens. The seizure orders specifically targeted Nablus governorate, with two orders affecting an area of 1 dunum each, and the third order targeted the village of Tammun in Tubas governorate, which accounted for another 5 dunums.
Mr. Sha’ban explained that these orders further restrict Palestinian shepherds from accessing these lands and grants colonizers the full authority to use them, adding that the first military order targeted the lands of the Salfit an Ramallah governorates, particularly the villages of Deir Ballut and Al-Luban Al-Gharbi by allocating a total of 2600 dunums in favour of colonizers’ grazing. These areas have been previously declared as state lands. The second, third, and fourth orders targeted the Ramallah Governorate, particularly the village of Kufr Malik, through allocating a total of 1505 dunums, and the lands of Deir Jarir, where two orders allocated a total of 4,900 dunums for the same purpose. The fifth order targeted Al-Far’a Valley lands in the Jericho governorate, seizing 426 dunums, while the sixth order allocated 8,700 dunums from the lands of Tubas city.
Mr. Sha’ban explained that this move, along with its associated risks, aligns with the repeatedly announced plans of the occupation government to "legalize" 70 colonial agricultural and grazing outposts. These efforts are part of the coalition agreements between the parties forming the occupation government. He emphasized that allocating land for grazing would solidify these outposts by granting them vast areas of Palestinian land, turning them into centers for launching further terrorist attacks against Palestinian citizens and their properties.
Mr. Sha’ban also noted that during February, the Israeli occupation authorities carried out 79 demolition operations, affecting 156 facilities. These included 109 inhabited homes, 5 uninhabited homes, 34 agricultural facilities, and others. The demolitions were concentrated in the Hebron governorate, with 55 demolished facilities, followed by Jenin with 26 demolished facilities, Jerusalem with 19 demolished facilities, and Salfit with 15 demolished facilities.
Mr. Sha’ban further stated that occupation authorities issued 93 demolition notifications against Palestinian facilities as part of an ongoing campaign to restrict Palestinian construction and natural urban growth. These notifications have increased significantly in recent days, with the highest concentration in the Nablus governorate with 25 notifications, followed by Tulkarm with 24 notifications, Hebron with 13 notifications, and Tubas with 8 notifications.
Mr. Sha’ban stated that in February, planning authorities in the occupation state reviewed 27 master plans for colonies in the West Bank and within the boundaries of Jerusalem’s municipality. This included 22 plans for West Bank colonies and 5 within Jerusalem. Of these, 14 plans were approved, 11 of them were in the West Bank. 13 master plans were submitted for deposit, with 11 also in the West Bank. The plans for February targeted a total of 3,245 dunums of Palestinian land for the construction of 2,684 new colonial units, including 1,278 units in the West Bank and 1,406 units within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries.
Mr. Sha’ban added that the map analyses attached to these master plans indicate the occupation state's intention to significantly expand the Telem colony, built on Palestinian lands in Tarqumiyah, Hebron governorate. This expansion includes the construction of a new colonial neighborhood with 196 additional units on 144 dunums, as part of the approval of master plan יוש/1/1/501.
He further added that what is referred to as the “Israel Land Authority” issued two construction bids in February for a total of 974 new colonial units in the Efrat colony, built on Palestinian lands in the towns of Al-Khader, Artas, and Wadi Rahal in Bethlehem governorate. The first bid aims to construct 694 units in the northeastern part of the colony, while the second bid includes 280 units, designated as housing centers for elderly colonizers in Efrat.