Israeli settlements swallow Palestinian land don’t spare even trees and take over whatever land they could expanding in all directions and cutting off Palestinians cities.
All you need is to drive along the Ramallah-Nablus road to be shocked upon seeing hundreds of Palestinian agricultural dunums stolen by settlers of Shilo settlement and on which they built factories.
The settlement of Shilo was established in 1978 southeast of Nablus and northeast of Ramallah and is located on the lands of Qaryut Mughayir Khirbat Abu Falah Tirmseya and Singel villages. It is located 3 kilometers away from Alubban Alsharqia village on the Ramallah-Nablus road and 40 km away from the city of Jerusalem. Religiously speaking it is considered by the Gush Ammonim settler movement as the second holy place for Jews after the city of Jerusalem.
The settlement was established on the top of a mountain that surrounds vast plains and on the lands of Arab villages which the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in favor of settlers when Palestinian owners appealed the Israeli confiscation of their lands.
Haredim
The researcher in settlement affairs Khaled Maali said that most of the residents of the settlement of Shilo are religious Jews (Haredim) who work there. Many industries and light production lines have been established in that settlement in addition to providing various services. Some of them work in the nearby settlements of Ofra and Beit El. Shilo is considered an industrial settlement.
Maali added “The purpose of establishing the settlement is to have a military industrial project that sells information in the field of military industry in addition to establishing a chemical plant and educational institutes including a high school and a field school in addition to promoting tourism due to the unique archaeology and nature of the area.”
He noted “Among the industries established in the settlement are a jewelry factory a carpentry workshop and many different workshops. Many of its residents work in agriculture. They raise livestock and poultry and occupy large areas of land seized in recent years turning them into peach and grape farms.”
The theft of 2000 dunums
Attorney Na’ila Attiya who is following up the issue of the stolen land by the settlement of Shilo told the PIC reporter: “The settlement of Shilo is currently occupying around 1995 dunums of privately-owned Palestinian land. She wondered if any Palestinian body cared to question this or if we knew this and continue to be silent.”
She added “All settlements that have taken over (Palestinian) agricultural land in recent years are religious primarily the settlement of Shilo and its outposts which are currently occupying 1995 dunums of privately owned Palestinian land.”
She concluded “Who speak to the world and spend large budgets for a conference that talks about settlements should ask themselves what we have done to address this issue.”
“We have a responsibility towards the land and the speeches are no longer enough and will not expel any settler from our land!”
