Since the foundation stone was laid in 1983 for the illegal settlement of Yitzhar on Mount Salman al-Farisi in south of Nablus Israel has embarked on expanding it over lands annexed from nearby towns including Asira al-Qibliya.
Its establishment marked an era of suffering for the local population who has been exposed ever since to countless attacks by the extremist settlers of Yitzhar.
The inhabitants of Yitzhar have a reputation as being among the most extreme Israeli settlers in the West Bank and regularly assault local Palestinian civilians in nearby towns and on roads.
Chief of the town Hafed Saleh told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that there are about 180 settlements and 175 outposts in the West Bank but Yitzhar is considered the most violent towards the Palestinians.
