RAMALLAH: Four Pales­t­i­nians have been detained for attending a Jewish holiday celebration in a West Bank settlement, according to Palestinian officials.

A senior Palestinian security official said on Sunday that “any Palestinian cooperation with settlers is viewed as violating the law, as he cooperates with the enemy.”

The Palestinians, along with the international community, object to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek both territories as parts of a future independent state, a position that has wide international backing. With nearly 600,000 Israelis now living in settlements on occupied lands, the Palestinians say their goal of establishing an independent state alongside Israel is rapidly vanishing.

While Palestinians see settlements as illegal, thousands of Palestinian labourers in the economically depressed West Bank continue to work in menial jobs in the Israeli communities.

The security official said the government is aware of labourers who have no choice but to work in settlements to support their families.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2016