Israeli settlers storm Palestinian property in Nablus

A number of Israeli settlers set fire to land in the Nablus village of Burin on Wednesday in their latest assault on Palestinian agricultural land.

According to Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors Israeli settlement activity in the northern West Bank, several Israeli settlers from the illegal Har Brakha settlement stormed Jabal Abu Salem and deliberately set fire to the area.

Daghlas told local Palestinian news agency Maan News that the Israeli settlers had attacked a Palestinian house.

They threw rocks at the house and attempted to invade it, but were restrained and stopped by local Palestinians.

It is currently unclear what the extent of the damage to the village is.

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The settler community in the illegal Har Brakha settlement, which was founded in 1983 is known for its extremist tendencies.

In 2011, a group of pro-Israel Evangelical Christians were kicked out of the settlement when they visited to volunteer in its vineyards.

The settlers accused the volunteers of trying to convert them from Judaism to Christianity, despite the group reiterating its utmost support and respect for Israel.

Settlement expansion in the West Bank

It is estimated that around 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.

In 2016 Israeli demolitions reached a 10-year high in the occupied territories, with over 1,560 Palestinians displaced by the destruction of homes and agricultural structures, according to UN data.

Despite criticism from international states and rights groups, the Israeli government has endorsed further settlement activity. 

Recently, Israel's housing minister Yoav Galant announced plans of building 15,000 new Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem alone.