Palestinians in this village suffer daily settler raids of Muslim shrines
While the Israeli settlers stepped up their storming of Muslim shrines in Kifl Haris village in Salfit governorate, Palestinians perceive that such raids pave the way for the seizure of additional lands in the town.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — On the evening of March 10, Israeli soldiers prevented Issam Abu Yaacoub, mayor of Kifl Haris, a village located in Salfit governorate in the northern West Bank, from accessing his village through the main street and demanded he take a bypass road because the settlers had raided the village.
Each time the settlers raid the village, the Israeli army imposes a total curfew and deploys a large number of soldiers and vehicles in preparation for the entry of settlers that lasts until dawn.
Kifl Haris has 4,500 residents and stretches over a surface area of about 10,000 dunams (2,471 acres). It accommodates three prominent Muslim shrines, namely the shrine of Prophet Dhu al-Kifl, the shrine of Yusha ibn Nun and the shrine of Dhul-Nun (Prophet Jonah). The three shrines date back to the period of Salahuddin al-Ayoubi and are characterized by the Islamic architectural style of the domes and prayer niches.
Abu Yaacoub told Al-Monitor that the settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, have raided the village for years; every time they do so, the soldiers are deployed in the streets and on the roofs of houses to protect the settlers.
