• Violation: Implantation of New mobile housing units.
• Location: Lands of Yasuf and Jama’en towns north east Salfit city.
• Date: March 12- 2018.
• Perpetrator: “Tafoh” Illegal settlement.
•  Victims: Farmers and villagers of the two towns. 

Monday morning, March 12 , After ravaging and preparing agricultural lands, Settlers brought 8 mobile housing units and implanted them on the west side from the colonial outpost “Kfar Tipuah” – North Yasuf town. 

Photo 1 : The new housing units.

In the recent 6 years and since the implantation of “Kfar Tipuah” illegal settlement over lands contain forests of millennial olives, Yasuf town farmers were victims of frequent settlers’ assaults. settlers using weapon and under the protection of the occupation army took over 35 dunums to implant this illegal outpost. The occupation claims building the outpost over “state’s property”.

 Israeli master plan to connect settlements:

Jamal Hammad head of colonization file in Salfit governorate told LRC observer: ” There is an Israeli master plan to connect “Kfar Tipuah” illegal settlement in the heart of west bank with “Arael” in the west , in order to build a colonial network that completely destroys the Idea of a Palestinian state, and make Palestinian communities similar to small cantons.

 Stealing and Judaization:

About the occupation’s policies in leaking lands to settlers on the pretext of “State’s lands” Feras Salameh the legal consultant in Salfit governorate said:

“We observed lately that the occupation use pretexts such as state’s properties and absentee properties to leak Palestinian lands to settlements institutions or groups of settlers, and then after time, using them for colonial expansion, this is a dangerous alert and reflects the occupation’s policies to devour Palestinian lands, this is the situation in Yasuf town”

 Policy of fait accompli:

The occupation now force farmers to take a preceding permit to harvest olives or cultivating land in that area, Nasha’at Izzat head of rural council in Yasuf village told LRC observer:

“We are allowed to reach our lands in certain times of the year and for only several hours, knowing that the area is cultivated millennial olive trees. On the other hand, Illegal settlers are allowed to enter the area at any time and practice assaults against farmers and their lands under the protection of the occupation’s army.

Examples of that Kfar Tipuah assault in 2015 Setting 78 Olive Trees Alight

Kfar Tipuah colony: 

The colony was built over Yasuf lands, overlooking Za’tara checkpoint which splits the West Bank into halves.

Most of the inhabitants of the colony are disciples and admirers of Ma’ir Kahana; a Jweish Rabii who used to call for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians before being murdered in the US years ago.

The colony’s total area is 233 dunums; it includes a military outpost besides the residential area.

It was established in 1982 and two outposts spawned of it in the year 2000; these are:

• Rihalim B: located to the south of Yasuf.
• New Tipuah: to the east.

Both colonies devoured more than 100 dunums of the village’s lands. 

Yasuf[1]:

It is 16km south of Nablus. Yasuf is surrounded by Huwara and Jamma’in (north), Marda (west), Yatma (east), and Iskaka (south). Yasuf is inhabited by 2090 people (according to 2013 projections). It has a total area of 6037 dunums, 330 of which are built-up area of the village. The Israeli occupation confiscated 814 dunums for these two colonies: Kfar Tapuah colony which was built on Yasuf lands in 1978. The colony is inhabited by 523 colonists and Rachelim- Shvut that was built in 1991 and devoured 10 dunums. Besides, the bypass road number 508 confiscated more than 155 dunums of the village lands. According to Oslo Accords, only 1427 dunums of Yasuf lands are under Area B (PA is in charge of civil matters with Israel responsible for security) while most of Yasuf is under Area C (Israel maintains full security and administrative control). About of 4609 dunums of Yasuf is in area C.

[1] GIS-LRC