Jenin – SABA:
Israeli occupation forces assaulted Palestinian worshippers on Friday while they were performing prayers on Jabal al-Masalmeh in the village of Raba, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
Local sources reported that Israeli troops fired tear gas at the worshippers gathered on the mountain, who were protesting plans to build a military base and a road on the mountain, which would involve seizing village lands.
Clashes erupted between the Israeli forces and the worshippers, as the military deployed reinforcements to the area. Palestinian residents also reported that Israeli settlers had set up a tent on the summit of the mountain.
Ghasan Al-Bazour, head of the Raba Village Council, told the Palestinian News Agency WAFA that Israeli bulldozers had begun clearing land in preparation for the construction of a military road near the mountain. He noted that the planned road does not follow the previously announced confiscation area, which means it could cut off access to around 2,200 dunams of agricultural land located east of the separation wall.
The Israeli authorities had recently issued new land seizure orders in the southern and southeastern parts of the village, citing plans to build a military road and army base on Jabal al-Masalmeh.
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