Settler Attacks Escalate Across West Bank as School Year Begins

Settler groups intensified attacks and provocations across the occupied West Bank from Saturday night into Sunday, with Israeli forces providing heavy protection. These incidents coincided with the start of the new academic year.

In the Bethlehem Governorate, dozens of settlers, accompanied by a significant Israeli military presence, entered the Solomon's Pools tourist area between Al-Khader and Artas villages. They performed provocative rituals.

In Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, settlers gathered near the entrance and school of Al-Mughayyir village, causing anxiety among approximately 600 students and staff as the school year commenced. In Nablus Governorate, settlers congregated on main roads and junctions leading to the city, throwing stones at civilian vehicles and disrupting movement between villages near settlements and outposts.

In Hebron, settlers continued their aggressions and restrictions around the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Masafer Yatta area, preventing residents and shepherds from accessing their land and livestock under threat of force.

Meanwhile, the siege on three homes in the Ras Al-Ain area of Qusra town, south of Nablus, entered its 29th day. The ongoing blockade by settlers and Israeli forces has prevented residents from entering or leaving their homes. This has specifically impacted education, with a teacher, Suhair Abu Rideh, unable to reach her school, depriving dozens of students of lessons. Two young girls have also been prevented from attending kindergarten, an act described by the Director of Education for southern Nablus, Samer Al-Jammal, as a violation of children's right to education.

The Nablus Directorate of Education had launched the new school year from Qusra, emphasizing residents' resilience and commitment to their children's right to education despite the ongoing pressures.