BETHLEHEM, (PIC)
Israeli settlers opened live fire on Palestinian residents on Monday in the town of Beit Sahour, east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, in what locals describe as part of a growing pattern of violence aimed at forcing Palestinians off their land.
Witnesses said a group of settlers stormed the Jabal Harasa area, east of Beit Sahour, and began firing directly at civilians who were working on their agricultural lands.
Despite the intensity of the gunfire, no physical injuries were reported, but the attack triggered widespread panic and forced farmers to flee their agricultural lands at gunpoint.
The incident reflects an intensifying campaign in Jabal Harasa, where settlers, often under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, are seeking to impose new realities on the ground.
In recent months, settlers have repeatedly attempted to establish tents and pastoral outposts in the area, while preventing Palestinian landowners from accessing their lands.
Such moves are widely seen as a prelude to land seizure and incorporation into surrounding settlement projects near Bethlehem.
Jabal Harasa is considered a strategically significant area, linking several towns east of Bethlehem. Its location makes it a key target in settler efforts to expand settlements and sever the city from its eastern rural hinterland.
Settler violence across the West Bank has surged sharply since the beginning of the year, taking multiple forms including live fire attacks, crop burning, and physical assaults.
Rights groups have warned that these practices form part of a systematic strategy aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinian communities from their land.
