West Bank settlements violate Oslo accords, says left-wing Israeli activist

Israeli settlers from the West Bank are violating the 1995 Oslo accords, says a left-wing Israeli activist.

Dror Etkes, a prominent anti-settlement activist, told Haaretz today that Israeli settlers are taking over an area called Area B. The area was promised to Palestinian civilians and Israeli security forces in the 1995 Oslo accords, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Etkes has long been monitoring Area B and told Haaretz that Israeli settlers have "turned the West Bank into an area where the strongest dominates." Etkes also blames Israeli security forces for not doing enough to protect Palestinian families in Area B.

One Palestinian family in the area, represented by Rabbis for Human Rights, filed a petition with the High Court of Justice complaining that their land had been taken over by Israeli settlers. They claim in the petition that the settlers used threats and even shot at them, Haaretz reported. 

The Oslo accords is an agreement signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization as an attempt to promote peace in the Middle East. It's not the first time that Etkes has accused his country of violating the Oslo accords. Writing in Haaretz last year, Etkes said that the Israeli government "made the Oslo accords devoid of meaning."