‘War crime’: Israel forcibly transfers Palestinian village

The 200 residents of Ein Samiya were forced to leave their land after years of Israeli settler and army violence. Ramallah, occupied West Bank – Years of violent attacks and restrictions by the Israeli army and settlers have forced the roughly 200 residents of Ein Samiya village out of their homes in what rights groups call a “war crime”. “The police protect the settlers, they don’t protect us.” ‘War crime’ In a statement published on Tuesday, rights group B’Tselem said, “Israel’s policy, whose goal is to allow the state to take over more and more Palestinian land to be used by Jews, is applied across the West Bank against dozens of Palestinian communities. Forcible transfer is a war crime.” “For years, residents of the community have suffered from violence carried out by Israeli forces, from settler violence carried out with the full backing of the state, and from extreme restrictions on building homes and infrastructure, as well as demolitions,” the statement continued, adding that the village school will also be demolished soon. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Palestinian Authority presidency spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said: “This is called ethnic cleansing, which forced the residents of Ein Samiya to leave, under the threat of the settlers and other restrictions.” “This is terrorism and racism that requires international intervention and especially from the EU, which has helped support these communities.