The residents of as-Sawiya town in southern Nablus have suffered for long years from Israel’s settlement activities that devoured their land. Recently they reported seeing a big “soundless” bulldozer working outside the illegal settlement of Eli.
Eli settlement was established in 1984 to the west of Qaryut village on a vast tract of land annexed from as-Sawiya and al-Lubban towns. The ongoing expansion of this settlement and others has formed a bloc of illegal contiguous settlements and led to the isolation of Nablus city from Ramallah.
As-Sawiya is located near several settlements outposts and military zones and its residents are barred from reaching their plots of land.
It has a population of around 3000 people and an area of 11500 dunums of land after Israel annexed about 4000 dunums for settlement construction and activities. However the locals are only allowed to build on a limited tract of land about 340 dunums.
According to local farmers from as-Sawiya a massive Israeli bulldozer has been embarking for two days on leveling land on a mountainous area near their village.
They noted that the bulldozer was working without making any sound or noise as it was razing the ground expressing belief that this could be one of the Israeli attempts to hide its settlement expansion activities in the area.
Local anti-settlement activist Bashar al-Qaryuti said that the Israeliarmy issued a decision at the beginning of the current year 2017 toannex 1200 dunums of land from the villages of Qaryut as-Sawiya and Lubban ash-Sharqiya in order to expand the settlement of Eli and link itwith Shilo settlement.
Qaryuti affirmed that Israel’s expansion of its settlements in that area is ongoing on a daily basis.
