ABNA24 - Jewish settlers and Israeli occupation forces (IOF) escalated their attacks across the occupied West Bank on Friday, carrying out simultaneous raids on towns north of Ramallah while forcing Palestinian civilians to leave the Solomon’s Pools tourist site south of Bethlehem.
Local sources said a group of settlers raided the archaeological site of Khirbet Abu al-Ouf, north of the town of Sinjil. Other settlers entered the Al-Zaytoun Valley near the northern entrance to the village of Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah, where they released their cattle to graze on Palestinian-owned farmland in what residents described as a new attack on their agricultural property.
Settlers also broke into the outskirts of the town of Atara, north of Ramallah, riding motorcycles near Palestinian homes, raising tensions and fear among local residents.
In Bethlehem Governorate, the IOF raided the Solomon’s Pools tourist area, located between the town of Al-Khader and the village of Artas. The IOF troops deployed near the first pool before confronting Palestinian visitors and forcing them to leave the area at gunpoint.
Israeli forces also shut down a commercial kiosk at the site and informed residents that Solomon’s Pools had been declared a “closed military area,” prohibiting public access.
The Solomon’s Pools area has witnessed a growing number of attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers in recent months, including the harassment of visitors and preventing Palestinians from accessing the historic site, as part of efforts to restrict their presence in tourist and archaeological areas.
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