On 19 March 2007, settlers invaded a house and established a new settlement, in the heart of the a-Ras Palestinian neighborhood in Hebron. In the twelve months that have passed since then, despite the decision of the Defense Minister at the time to evacuate the settlement, the settlement has grownIt has been connected to the electricity grid and has undergone construction and renovation work.
Over the past year, the harm to the Palestinian residents in the area has increased and they have suffered further infringement of their human rights. They suffer both from the settlers and from Israeli security forces who have been assigned to protect the settlement.
Researchers from B'Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel found that establishment of the settlement, and the failure to evacuate it, has caused daily harm to Palestinian residents of the area, including:
* extensive abuse and violence by settlers in the new settlement, carried out before the eyes of security forces;
* abuse and violence by security forces posted at or near the new settlement;
* increased prohibitions on movement enforced by Israeli security forces;
* failure to enforce the law on violent settlers;
* attempts by settlers to cut access paths to the settlement through Palestinian farmland or on Palestinian streets, which led to violent confrontations.
The settlers claim that the building was sold to Jews. On the other hand, it is contended that the purchase documents were forged. Since the establishment of the new settlement, B'Tselem has maintained that Israel must evict the occupants immediately, without regard to the question of ownership. This position is based on the illegality, under international law, of Israeli settlements from the start, and in light of the severe human rights violations that have come in the wake of the new settlement.
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