Press Release – For Immediate Publication

Sharek Youth Forum strongly condemns, in the strongest terms, the actions taken under cover of darkness by groups of settlers who have installed an iron gate at the entrance of Wadi Kafr Ni’ma, leading to Youth Village. This constitutes a serious escalatory measure aimed at imposing a new coercive reality, isolating the village, and depriving farmers and civilians of their right to access their lands and Youth Village.

The Forum affirms that, over the past days, settlers have carried out systematic attacks targeting the contents and equipment of Youth Village, including deliberate destruction, theft, and vandalism. These actions represent a clear attempt to undermine this civilian and youth space and to prevent young people from exercising their right to access a safe environment for learning, organizing, and community participation.

The Forum further emphasizes that the majority of the area in which Youth Village is located falls under Area “B,” which is supposed to be under Palestinian civil control. This renders these illegal measures a double violation of the existing status and governing agreements. The impact of the iron gate extends beyond Youth Village itself, effectively preventing farmers from reaching their lands and constituting a direct assault on their livelihoods and fundamental rights.

The installation of the iron gate constitutes a coercive restriction on movement and access, representing a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the rules prohibiting arbitrary restrictions on civilian movement and criminalizing attacks on civilian property and protected spaces. It also constitutes a clear breach of the occupying power’s obligations to protect civilians and to refrain from harming them or their property.

Accordingly, Sharek Youth Forum calls for:

1. Immediate intervention to remove the iron gate and halt all attacks on Youth Village and its surroundings.

2. The provision of immediate protection for Youth Village as a protected civilian and youth space.

3. Ensuring safe and unrestricted access for farmers to their lands.

4. Accountability for those responsible for acts of destruction, theft, and vandalism, in accordance with international law.

Targeting Youth Village and its surroundings constitutes a direct attack on the rights of youth, farmers, and local residents alike, and represents an attempt to impose colonial realities by force. Sharek Youth Forum reaffirms its commitment to defending this civilian space and exposing all violations perpetrated against it.

Sharek Youth Forum

19 December 2025