Colonists erected new outposts opposite Kiryat Arba, on Hill 26 and near the Palestinian village of Umm Al Kheir in the South Hebron Hills; New construction and earth works by colonists have also taken place near Susya and Tawane; Soldiers stood watch to protect colonists from the terrorist outpost ‘Havat Maon’ while the latter held a noisy night picnic near a Palestinian home in Tawane; 90 residents of the Silwan neighborhood (east Jerusalem), among them elderly people and babies, were hurt by teargas fired into homes during a raid by the occupation forces; The army closed a main road to Palestinian traffic so that colonist families from the outpost ‘Avigail’ can walk at leisure to a nearby spring ; Teams of ‘Doctors without Borders’ and the BBC were detained for hours at a checkpoint in Masafer Yatta; Soldiers confiscated a water tanker that was to serve 10 Palestinian communities in the searing heat of summer in the Palestinian Jordan Valley; The occupation forces demolished 387 Palestinian buildings throughout the West bank since the beginning of the current year; 575 attacks against Palestinians were carried out by colonists between May 2021 and June 2022

photo: Colonists erect a new outpost near the Palestinian village of Umm Al Kheir, South Hebron Hills, July 20, 2022

South Hebron Hills
On Sunday, July 17, the Israeli court rejected a request presented by the inhabitants of Masafer Yatta for an injunction to cease the army’s maneuvers in their dwelling area, that has been declared a firing zone. On the morrow, Monday, structures were photographed and demolition and cessation of work orders were issued in Khalat A-Dab’a, Fakhit and Humaida. On Wednesday, July 20, the army held maneuvers including tanks in firing zone 918, and in the afternoon soldiers confiscated an Israeli vehicle driven by an activist on his way from Mufaqara to Khalat A-Dab’a. That afternoon, the occupation army closed off the road to Mufaqara for all Palestinian traffic, in order to enable colonist families from the outpost ‘Avigail’ to walk at leisure to a nearby spring. On Thursday, the army detained for hours teams of ‘Doctors without Borders’ and journalists of the BBC who came to the Jinba area.
Soldiers exerted violence, firing stun grenades and teargas against inhabitants and activists in Tawane who came to document the confiscation of a vehicle at the entrance to the village on Sunday, July 17. A closure order was issued which included a part of the main road in the area. The next day, Monday, colonists from ‘Havat Maon’ came to a home at the outskirts of Tawane armed with clubs and harassed the family with curses and threats in the presence of soldiers. That night, colonists with mattrasses came out of the terrorist outpost ‘Havat Maon’ to spend a noisy night near the family’s home, and a military force showed up to protect them. Following this, activists spent the next night (July 19) there and documented earth works carried out by colonists inside firing zone 918. The army knows of this but did not show up, whereas an activists’ vehicle was detained for an ‘inspection’ at the entrance to the village. On Friday morning, Tawane villagers and activists came out to demonstrate in protest at the same entrance; the army blocked their way to the main road.
Colonists from ‘Carmel’ erected a new outpost near the village Umm al Kheir on Wednesday; the outpost was dismantled later, but colonists keep coming to the place to pray every evening. On the same day, a new outpost was erected opposite Kiryat Arba colony. Army and Border Police forces evacuated the colonists as well as activists who came to demonstrate in protest. The army exerted violence against Palestinians who were watching and threw a stun grenade at them. An Israeli activist was beaten up by a Regiment Deputy Commander, arrested and released after a short while. Another outpost was erected on Palestinian land at a site called ‘Hill 26’ east of Hebron.
Near Susya, too, this week saw new colonist construction on Palestinian lands. On Wednesday July 20, soldiers tried to chase away shepherds from Susya lands, but activist intervention prevented this. After the soldiers left, colonists and their flocks invaded Palestinian areas officially out of bounds for Israelis.
At Simra, colonists and their flocks invaded lands near the village houses on Monday, July 18. Activists prevented a repeated invasion on Wednesday. The next day, a group of colonists arrived for an extended tour of lands next to the village houses.
The occupation army went on a demolition and confiscation rampage on Tuesday, July 19, in Juwaiya and En Al Beda. In addition to demolitions, tents used as sheep pens and 3 water tanks were confiscated, and an order was issued against a farmed field with a tree grove. That evening, colonists came to En Al Beda and threatened Palestinian shepherds. Police summoned to the site chose to detain a Palestinian, following a false accusation by a colonist. On Thursday, July 21, a Palestinian boy herding his flock in En Al Beda was attacked by a colonist with stones and beaten up.
Activists held a tour on Tuesday to document colonist invasions around Bani Naim. Armed colonists arrived at the site, as well as army and police, and a Palestinian activist was detained for a while. The colonists erected a tent at the site. On Thursday, the occupation forces confiscated a Palestinian truck and bulldozer at Masafer Bani Naim.
All week, activists accompanied Palestinian shepherds and farmers in the South Hebron Hills, and on Saturday they joined the landowner at Umm Al Arais. At Atariya a colonist blocked the vehicle of activists on their way to accompany a shepherd on Monday, and on Saturday a boy from the terrorist outpost ‘Mitzpe Yair’ came to harass and curse a Palestinian shepherd. That day, Saturday, activists documented many vandalized trees, and a colonist-vandalized fence of two fields in Bir Al Eid.

Palestinian Jordan Valley
Around Auja and Mu’arajat in the southern part of the Valley, colonists from the outposts continued to harass Palestinian shepherds and communities this week. On Sunday, soldiers tried to chase away shepherds near Auja but activists present prevented this, and summoned police in order to distance colonists who were harassing shepherds and communities in the area. On Tuesday, the colonist from the nearby ranch/outpost tried to chase away Palestinian shepherds, and the occupation army helped him and limited Palestinian grazing in the area. On the other days of the week, activists accompanied shepherds unhampered, and spent nights at Mu’arajat at the request of the villagers, following the severe violence and arson by the outpost colonists in recent weeks.
On Monday, July 18, activists documented invasions of colonist flocks from ‘Ma’ale Ahuviya’ (a thug-outpost that had been supposedly ‘dismantled’) into a vineyard around the Tayibe Junction on the West Bank Hill Range, and helped mend a fence vandalized by the colonists.
In the northern part of the Palestinian Jordan Valley, the occupation forces issued this week demolition orders in Yanus and Yarza. On Tuesday, July 19, at the bidding of a colonist from an outpost near ‘Maskiyot’, soldiers confiscated a Palestinian water tanker, carrying water for 10 Palestinian communities in the arid summer period in the Valley, when temperatures reach 45 degrees centigrade.
All week, activists accompanied shepherds in the northern Valley communities, around Hamra and En Sukut.. On Tuesday, the army, at the bidding of the violent colonist from the nearby outpost, limited Palestinians’ grazing grounds near Hamra.

Jerusalem
On Saturday, July 23, colonists attacked Palestinian vehicles in Silwan, and the occupation forces entered the neighborhood and began firing teargas at random into homes, causing harm to 90 of the neighborhood residents, many of them elderly, children and babies. The forces violently arrested the head of the Followup Committee of the Arab Community, Zohair Al Rajabi and his son, after breaking into their home with hammers. The two were released a few hours later.
That day, Saturday, the occupation forces also invaded the Issawiya neighborhood and fired teargas. In Jabal Mukabar they closed off the main street. In the evening, right-wing thugs vandalized Palestinians’ cars at the Musrara neighborhood. A day earlier, Friday, Jewish terrorists pepper-sprayed a young Palestinian near the Bell Garden.
Demolitions in Jerusalem: The occupation forces demolished 6 structures in Anata.

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575 attacks against Palestinian carried out by colonists were reported between May 2021 and June 2022.
During the two weeks between June 28 and July 18 this year, colonists uprooted 1100 trees belonging to Palestinians.
387 Palestinian houses were demolished since the beginning of 2022.
During 2021, 22,030 new housing-units have been built for Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, 14,894 of them in East Jerusalem. That year, 908 Palestinian structures were demolished in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Only 10 construction permits were issued to Palestinians.
44.7% of Gazans of work age are unemployed.