The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission revealed on Tuesday that Israeli occupation authorities have approved a plan allowing the establishment of shooting ranges at 31 settlement locations across the occupied West Bank. The sites are spread across the governorates of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho, and the Jordan Valley, amid escalating settler attacks against Palestinians.
اضافة اعلان
In a statement carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the commission said Plan No. (200/5) covers 29 settlements, settlement outposts and neighborhoods, as well as two industrial zones. It allows for the expansion of facilities used for firearms training, shooting practice, and the qualification of licensed gun holders.
The commission explained that the plan includes the Maccabim Industrial Zone, built on land belonging to the town of Safa, west of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, and the Tel Maryam area, known as Sha'ar Binyamin, on land in the Jerusalem Governorate. The plan extends from southern Nablus to the outskirts of Jerusalem and areas toward Jericho and the Jordan Valley.
According to the commission, the plan permits shooting ranges to be established on land designated for public buildings and institutions, tourism, commerce, industry, crafts, sports, and recreation.
It also noted that an Israeli government list dating back to 2022 included nine licensed shooting ranges inside West Bank settlements, including Ariel, Karnei Shomron, Ma'on, and Alon Shvut.
A document published in 2024 by the economic company affiliated with the Mateh Binyamin Settlements Council also revealed a proposal to operate a shooting range in the Psagot settlement in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate. The project was justified by an increase in applications for firearms licenses following October 7, 2023.
The commission said the company had announced that it would cover the costs of building the shooting range and constructing access roads to the facility.
1,369 Settler Attacks Recorded Last Month
In a related development, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission announced that 31 Palestinians had been martyred by settler gunfire since the beginning of this year. It documented 1,369 attacks by settlers during October, compared with 647 in September, marking an increase of 111.6%.
Ramallah and Al-Bireh recorded the highest number of settler attacks in October, with 393 incidents, followed by Nablus with 353.
According to the commission, the attacks included shootings, physical assaults, arson and property destruction, damage to crops, theft of agricultural produce and livestock, as well as preventing Palestinians from accessing their land.
The commission warned that expanding firearms training facilities in areas experiencing repeated attacks increases the risks facing Palestinian communities. It said the expansion also creates greater opportunities for weapons to be used in attacks against residents and to pressure them into abandoning their land and sources of livelihood.
It stressed that approval of the plan provides a planning framework for establishing shooting ranges, but does not mean that all the facilities will immediately be built or become operational, as each project remains subject to obtaining the required permits.
The commission warned against expanding settler firearms training facilities while attacks continue, calling for the protection of Palestinians and accountability for those carrying out the attacks and the parties supporting them.
