Urgent update from "Looking the Occupation in the Eye"

Several families from the village of Ras al-Ein in the Valley began fleeing their homes this morning, due to increased threats from area settlers backed by the Civil Administration

After decades of living there, and following months of relentless harassment and weeks of unrestrained violent blitz, settlers began plowing private land in the heart of the community several weeks ago, and some of the resident families in the village have begun abandoning their homes. The Ras al-Ein community is the last remaining Palestinian community in the area.

Activists from Looking the Occupation in the Eye accompany the village residents with protective presence activities every day, working to create a buffer between the settlers and residents. A statement from the activists said: "The Israeli government, with the help of its settler proxies, is carrying out ethnic cleansing in the West Bank territories. More and more outposts are deliberately being established in the heart of Palestinian communities, making the peaceful lives of weakened communities impossible. Ethnic cleansing is a crime against humanity - and it's happening now. Those who remain silent in the face of the occupation - shouldn't be surprised to discover they live in a state that has ceased to be a democracy."