Israeli forces and settlers carried out a total of 1,659 violations in the West Bank during May, said a monthly report from the Palestine Liberation Organization's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.
The Commission's head, Mu'ayyad Sha'ban, said the Israeli forces carried out 1,108 attacks, while the settlers carried out 551.
According to Sha'ban, the form of the attacks varied, including direct physical violence, uprooting of trees, burning of fields, denial of farmers' access to their land, seizure of property, and demolition of homes and agricultural structures.
Sha'ban said that the pattern of attacks clearly reveals the adoption of systematic policies aimed at imposing a coercive, expulsive environment. He said these policies translate into forced displacement operations.
Sha'ban said the displacement of families and destruction of property, land, and trees constitutes a compound crime targeting both people and place, adding that these actions are part of a project of gradual de facto annexation managed through organized escalation of violence.
Sha'ban said that the Israeli settlers attempted to establish 12 new settlement outposts since the beginning of May.
In addition, the Israeli forces carried out 70 demolition operations in May targeting 155 facilities and distributed 51 demolition notifications for Palestinian facilities, Sha'ban said.
Israeli forces, settlers carry out over 1,600 attacks in West Bank during May: report
Representative on behalf of cities across China and the United States gathered at a sister cities summit in San Francisco on Friday to share insights on key topics spanning green urban development, culture, tourism, education and youth.
The 8th China-U.S. Sister Cities Summit was initiated by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in 2014, serving as a significant bilateral event following the meeting between the Chinese and U.S. heads of state in May while receiving positive responses from localities and friendly organizations in both countries.
More than 150 representatives from 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities and 12 cities in China, and 160 representatives from 21 states and 36 cities in the United States, gathered to engage in in-depth exchanges and mutual learning on three main themes of green development and urban governance, culture and tourism, and education and youth.
Five cooperation agreements were signed between relevant cities in China and the United States, showcasing the results of 31 cooperative projects covering areas such as sister city partnerships, cultural and tourism exchanges, and youth exchanges.
The participants said these links boost bilateral friendship and contribute to stable China-U.S. relations.
"China [is one of the] largest economies, all the fantastic discoveries and things being done in China. The U.S. and China have a lot to learn from each other and working together, we can conquer the world's problems," said Carol Robertson Lopez, chair emeritus of Sister Cities International.
"The attendees all expressed their willingness to further strengthen cooperation with sister cities. They believe that there is a great potential, a bright future, and strong vitality in local exchanges and cooperation, and they are willing to contribute to and solidify the foundation of the constructive strategic relationship between China and the United States through close cooperation," said Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
At present, China and the United States have established 50 pairs of sister provinces and states and 238 pairs of sister cities.
8th China-US Sister Cities Summit held in San Francisco
