Israel prevents Palestinians from praying on Mount Sabih after US activist’s death

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September 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Israeli forces on Friday prevented Palestinians from approaching Mount Sabih, located between the West Bank towns of Qabalan, Yatma and Beita, to pray after the death of Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in the area.

Mahmud Barham, head of the Beita Municipal Council, has denounced that the Israeli army has set up several military checkpoints at intersections in the city where the activist was killed while protesting against the expansion of Israeli settler settlements.

They have begun blocking the way to passers-by and residents trying to reach the mountain, where Israel illegally placed the Evyatar post on its southernmost peak in 2021, according to reports from the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

In 2021, Israel’s Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal filed by several Palestinian residents who claimed they owned the rights to the land, postponing its consideration until a land declaration was made by the state.

Later, it was determined that part of the land was in fact state land, leading then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to approve the creation of a settlement in the area.