Several thousand Israelis demonstrated yesterday, Monday, under the protection of the army in the northern part of the West Bank demanding the expansion of Jewish settlements in this occupied Palestinian territory.

Among the marching crowd were several families and several armed men.

Their destination was the top of a rocky hill, where the settlement of Eviatar was located, where about fifty families lived, until their removal in 2021 after a compromise with the previous Israeli government.

Among the crowd, holding white and blue Star of David flags, were far-right ministers such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

“The answer to terrorism is the creation” of settlements, Ben Gvir told protesters, as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates.

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Hundreds of Jewish settlements, of various sizes, were created in the West Bank after Israel occupied it in 1967. Today, about 490,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, where about 2.9 million Palestinians live.

According to some settlers, the Palestinians who have lived in the West Bank for centuries and until its occupation in 1967 have no right to this land of the old kingdom of Israel, which God promised to his people, according to the Bible.

“If we want to create a new settlement, then we will march” to Eviatar, said 74-year-old Rivka Katzir, a resident of the Elkana settlement, who believes that “our settlement here” is “the only solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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“With God’s help we will legalize dozens more” settlements, pledged Ben Gvir, who also lives in one of them.

The UN considers Israeli settlement activity illegal under international law.

The Israeli government distinguishes between state-permitted settlements, which it considers legal, and those created without a permit, which are considered illegal under Israeli law.

In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government announced it would legalize nine of these illegal West Bank settlements in response to Palestinian attacks on East Jerusalem.

Picnic for the Israelis, bullets for the Palestinians

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The creation of Eviatar had sparked a wave of protests by Palestinians living in the surrounding area, mainly in the nearby village of Beita, where many Palestinians were killed during clashes with the Israeli army.

Yesterday the villagers took to the street holding Palestinian flags and threw stones at the soldiers, who responded by using tear gas.

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According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 22 people were injured by plastic bullets and nearly 200 needed first aid for inhaling tear gas.

At the same time on the hill hundreds of men recited Jewish prayers while children played in bouncy castles.

Ice creams, cotton candy and balloons were offered to picnicking families.

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According to Rina Cohen, who took part in the march with her husband, the event was “very successful”. “We want to support people because (…) their houses were destroyed,” explained the 22-year-old woman

.Since the beginning of the year the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of at least 94 Palestinians, 18 Israelis, a Ukrainian woman and an Italian, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

“Terrorism will not scare us,” assured 52-year-old Ezri Tobe, a resident of the Yizhar settlement. “What keeps us going is the thousands of years of history,” he added, explaining that this demonstration was held to tell the government that “we are here to stay.”