Bethlehem - Saba:
Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian farmer on Wednesday evening in the town of Beit Fajjar and installed new mobile houses in the village of Wadi Rahal, as part of an effort to expand an illegal settlement outpost south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported, citing local sources, that Israeli forces detained farmer Mohammed Mahmoud Taqatqa from Beit Fajjar after holding him and his family for hours on their agricultural land in the Wadi Seif area, preventing them from accessing or working on it.
The arrest followed an attack by Zionist settlers in the same area, under the protection of Israeli forces, who held the family at gunpoint and ordered them not to return to their land in the future.
The land, spanning approximately 200 dunams, is planted with grapevines and owned by the Taqatqa family, serving as their primary source of livelihood.
Meanwhile, in the village of Wadi Rahal, a member of the local council told WAFA that Israeli forces installed new mobile homes in the Khallet An-Nahla area to expand an existing pastoral settlement outpost.
He explained that the area is vital agricultural land used by villagers for seasonal crops, particularly vegetables, and noted that Zionist settlers released their livestock into the fields, completely destroying the crops.
The council member stressed that these lands are the only source of income for many farming families in the village, warning against the ongoing Israeli and settler policies aimed at displacing Palestinians through repeated attacks and systematic restrictions.
These actions are part of a broader escalation in settlement expansion across the southern West Bank, where Israeli authorities seek to impose facts on the ground by expanding outposts, restricting Palestinian farmers' movement, and preventing them from cultivating their lands.
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