Victory against Israeli West Bank settlement offers Palestinians some hope

Victory against Israeli West Bank settlement offers Palestinians some hope Christian activist Kisiya regains access to family land after an Israeli court ruled against settlers in the occupied West Bank. Bethlehem and al-Makhrour, occupied West Bank - For Alice Kisiya, a Palestinian Christian activist from Beit Jala in the occupied West Bank, this Christmas season is special. On Tuesday, Kisiya was able, for the first time since 2019, to set foot on her family’s land in the Christian village of al-Makhrour after an Israeli court ruling in June eventually forced Israeli settlers to leave the land and dismantle an illegal outpost. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Belgium joins South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at ICJ list 2 of 3 Is Israel’s government waging war on Al Jazeera and the media? list 3 of 3 Israeli forces demolish shops in raids near occupied East Jerusalem “This victory, which forced the settlers to dismantle their outpost in preparation for leaving for good, confirms to me that one must never tire of continuing the struggle, despite all the methods they used to pressure me and my family into leaving the land,” Kisiya told Al Jazeera. “They left our family’s land after four months and moved on to build an outpost on land belonging to our relatives. Yet, I have prevailed once again, because every time I saw them on my land, it strengthened my commitment to pursue my legal struggle,” she said. The Kisiya family’s legal battle was prolonged and hard-fought after an Israeli settler organisation claimed to have bought the land from “other owners” and provided ownership documents. After years of legal proceedings, an Israeli court recently rejected the settlers’ allegation and ruled that the documents presented were fabricated. The court stated that the Kisiya family was the legal owner of the 5 dunams (0.005sq km) piece of land in al-Makhrour and had the right to return to it. “The Israeli court ruling is very important, because it affirms my rights and ownership of the land and exposes the falsity of the occupation and settlers’ manipulation of property documents in an illegal manner, as they were forged for political and personal purposes,” Kisiya, who was arrested in 2024 for protesting settler land grabs, said. But despite her legal victory, Kisiya still does not stay on her land, fearing settler attacks and violence, which are commonplace in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “The court ruling granted my family and me the right to return to the land, the house and the restaurant that were demolished by the occupation, but we are now avoiding a permanent presence because of settler violence, backed by the right-wing government and its ministers, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir,” she said, referring to Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir. Kisiya, whose family home Israeli forces also demolished when she was a child, has become a symbol of resistance in her Christian community and among other Palestinians after years of...

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