Jericho: Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday demolished sheds and solar panel rooms in Arab al-Mlaihat village, northwest of the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, according to a local activist. Hassan Mlaihat, the general supervisor of the Al-Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, reported that the occupation authorities, along with representatives of the Colonies Council and colonists, escorted bulldozers into the village and tore down two sheds belonging to Jamal Mlaihat.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, Israeli bulldozers also dismantled facilities used to supply electricity to the village. This operation took place in the presence of an official from the nearby colony of Mevo’ot Jericho, reflecting the ongoing tensions in the region.
The Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) provides context to the situation, stating that the Arab al-Mlaihat originally hail from Negev. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, they were forcefully expelled to various parts of the West Bank. In the mid-eighties, the residents of al-Mlaihat were expelled from the al-Irqa area to Maghair al-Dair, located only 7 kilometers away, as Israel declared the area a military closed zone.