Israeli settlers re-establish settlement outpost in West Bank

Ramallah, Aug 16 (IANS) Israeli settlers have re-established a settlement outpost in the West Bank city of Hebron, after it was abandoned for two months, a Palestinian commission said.The National Commission to Resist the Wall and Settlements in the West Bank said in a statement that Israeli settlers, under the protection of an Israeli army force, re-established the outpost in the village of Khirbet Zanuta south of Hebron, reports Xinhua news agency.Two months ago, Palestinian protesters removed the outpost and obliged the Israeli settlers who had settled there to leave the site, reported the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, adding that the settlers arrived earlier on Sunday and established the outpost again.According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the total number of settlers' attacks across the West Bank in 2021 has increased by 46 per cent compared to the same period in 2020.Official Palestinian figures said that more than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
--IANS ksk/