'Israeli' settlers occupy Palestinians' homes near Jericho

• 'Israeli' settlers occupied eight homes near Jericho's Hasmonean Palaces site, claiming legal purchases via settler group Nachala
• Jericho Governor Hussein Hamayel dismissed the sale documents as forged, asserting the land belongs to the Palestinian Authority
• Peace Now reported 30 settlers arrived, assaulted two 'Israeli' activists, and shot a Palestinian man in the leg
• Rights groups warned the outpost could draw military buildup, movement curbs, and displacement comparable to Hebron

'Israeli' settlers occupied eight houses on the outskirts of the occupied West Bank city of Jericho this week, alleging the properties were legally purchased, while Palestinian authorities condemned the takeover as a land grab facilitated by forged paperwork.

Settler families, including young children, were seen moving belongings into the homes located near the ancient site of the Hasmonean Palaces just outside the city boundaries on Wednesday.

Hanan Greenwood, a spokesman for the regional council representing settlers in the area, told AFP that the move was facilitated by Nachala, a right-wing organization that finances settlement expansion across the West Bank and explicitly lobbies for the total annexation of Palestinian territory.

"We're here in Jericho in eight houses that Nachala bought with our help," Greenwood said. "We came here yesterday afternoon and we've been here for 24 hours, very excited."

Palestinian officials swiftly refuted the legality of the acquisition.

Hussein Hamayel, governor of the Jericho governorate, told AFP that the properties fall under land owned by the Palestinian Authority and are legally prohibited from being transferred or sold.

"What is being promoted is a forgery, not a sale, and what is being circulated is settler propaganda," Hamayel stated.

The disputed site lies in Area C of the occupied West Bank, an administrative zone established under the 1990s Oslo Accords that remains under full 'Israeli' military and administrative control.

'Israel' has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 war.

More than 500,000 'Israeli' settlers reside across the West Bank in outposts and settlements that are considered illegal under international law, amidst a population of more than three million Palestinians who view the territory as the core of any future independent state.

The entry of settlers was accompanied by immediate violence, according to settlement monitor Peace Now.

The watchdog group reported that a group of around 30 settlers arrived on Wednesday to take over the houses, during which "they assaulted and robbed two 'Israeli' activists and shot a Palestinian man in the leg."

Palestinian residents in the greater Jericho basin expressed alarm that the outpost will entrench a permanent military presence and escalate vigilante violence.

Several nearby Palestinian communities have already been completely depopulated over the past year due to systematic settler intimidation.

Drawing parallels to the flashpoint city of Hebron -where approximately 400 settlers reside fortified among 250,000 Palestinians- Peace Now warned that establishing outposts adjacent to existing urban Palestinian neighborhoods creates permanent friction.

The watchdog noted that the settlement footprint in Hebron has historically "led to constant friction and violence, severe restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement" and "resulted in the displacement of thousands of Palestinians."

Peace Now stressed that regardless of claims surrounding contracts, state authorization remains the legal arbiter:

"It is important to emphasise that even if a genuine purchase did take place, rather than a forgery, the (Israeli) government still has the authority to decide whether to allow the settlement to be established."