Second outpost in 4 months.. Settlement accelerates in Beit Iksa

The Jerusalem Governorate warns of accelerating settlement expansion in the town of Beit Iksa, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, after settlers established a new outpost in Khirbet al-Alawneh, the second in four months, under the protection of occupation forces.

The Jerusalem Governorate warned of escalating settlement expansion in the town of Beit Iksa, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, after a group of settlers, under the protection of occupation forces, began erecting structures and facilities in the Khirbet al-Alawneh area, making this the second outpost in four months. The governorate stressed that this step aims to establish a new settlement presence and impose a fait accompli on the town's lands, warning of the risks of the outpost expanding and extending into additional areas of citizens' lands, threatening to restrict their access to their agricultural lands. The governorate explained that the first outpost was established on March 11, when about 40 settlers entered the areas of Ras Freij, Karm al-Gharaba, and al-Matata, accompanied by trucks and a bulldozer, and began bulldozing and closing an agricultural road. On March 13, the installation of prefabricated structures and barbed wire was documented, while settlers returned on August 2 and 10 to the western area and carried out digging and bulldozing to expand and consolidate the outpost.