Palestinians setup tent camp at Ush Ghrab to protest a planned settlement

Dozens of Palestinians accompanied with international supports setup a protest tent in the Ush Ghrab area of eastern Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem on Sunday. The action, which was organized by the Popular Resistance Committee in Beit Sahour, aims at stopping the planned construction of a settlement in the area.

After the Sunday mass, dozens of worshippers along with international friends arrived at the site and started setting up a tent, and cleaned the area of rubbish.

Israeli soldiers, who have been stationed in the area in a military tower setup since 2010, arrived at the scene but did not interrupt the youth.

The area was under Israeli military control following the 1967 occupation of the West Bank until the Israeli military unilaterally decided to abandon the area in 2006.

The municipality of Beit Sahour immediately started rehabilitating the area to turn it into a public park and recreational place for children and families. In 2008, Israeli settlers, motivated by an settler organization named “Women in Green” started to organize activities in the area, that they call Shdema, in order to build a Jewish settlement. more

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