Hundreds of illegal Jewish settlers on Thursday have overrun a Palestinian archaeological site in the occupied West Bank town of Sebastia, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA has reported.
According to the local mayor, Mohammad Azem, Jewish settlers forced their way into the site under the protection of Israeli soldiers, who declared the site to be off-limits to Palestinians.
Over 250 US Rabbis Demand End of Jewish Settler Violence in Palestine
The letter, a copy of which was received by the Palestine Chronicle, was issued by the rabbinic human rights organization, T’ruah, and was signed by over 250 rabbis and cantors. https://t.co/X4ukAIaWz9 pic.twitter.com/IROARK4HvN
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 10, 2022
Sebastia is a small Palestinian town of historic importance located on a hill eleven kilometers northwest of Nablus, with a population of 3,000.
The area has been identified by UNESCO as the capital of the northern kingdom during the Second Iron Age in Palestine and a major urban center during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
🇵🇸#Palestine | Israeli settlers closed the street that connects the villages of Sebastia and Naqura, northwest of Nablus. pic.twitter.com/okWosA7iVH
— my homeland is Palestine (@64659925Palesti) January 17, 2022
Attacks by illegal Jewish settlers on Palestinians are increasingly common, particularly by extreme right-wingers.
They are rarely held to account by the Israeli occupation authorities. Indeed, in most cases, the settlers who harass and attack Palestinians are accompanied and protected by Israeli security forces.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
