The Israeli occupation army on Monday carried out a large-scale bulldozing activity on Palestinian-owned land in Bruqin town in the west of Salfit in order to expand the illegal settlement of Bruchin.
Bruqin mayor Marwan Abdul-Rahman said that four bulldozers started in the morning to bulldoze a vast tract of land in the northern area of the town as a prelude to carrying out projects for Bruchin settlers.
Bruchin was established in 1999 to the northwest of Bruqin. After the second Intifada (uprising) in 2000 Bruchin evolved quickly as settlers got advantage of the fact that Palestinian farmers cannot reach their lands to take over as many lands as possible in order to expand their settlement responding to then premier Ariel Sharon’s call for settlers to seize what they could of West Bank lands.
Bruchin was named after the Palestinian town of Bruqin and built on its annexed land. The colony’s area –until 2009- was 480 dunums and its built-up area was 266 dunums. After 2009 the colony expanded as its settlers were offered more protection and support and allowed to appropriate more lands assault local farmers and residents and destroy trees and crops.
