JERUSALEM: Israel is preparing to expel the Palestinians again in the occupied West Bank. As many as 1,200 Palestinians have been evicted from their homes in Masafir Yatta in the South West Bank, according to a court ruling.
In the 1980s, Israel brutally attacked the Palestinians on 7,400 acres of land in Masafir Yatta, declaring it a military training zone. The interim stay came after the matter was taken to court, but the Israeli Supreme Court yesterday allowed the Palestinians to be deported. This is the largest Palestinian eviction since 1967.
Tensions remain high as locals refuse. Palestinians say the goal is to build Jewish settlements in the name of military training. Israel is cracking down on families who have been living in the mountains of southern Hebron for ages. Despite the intervention of the United Nations and the European Union, Israel is trying to oust the Palestinians by claiming that they are not natives. According to reports, the court’s last move was a planned move by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Israel is currently denying Palestinians permission to build on two-thirds of the West Bank. Only Palestinians are denied access to Area-C. About 30 per cent of the land in Area-C has been declared as military training centers.
