Israeli settlers attack a village in the West Bank and burn olive trees

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Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers, dressed in black and masked, burned olive trees and threw stones at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on Friday targeting the annual harvest season in one of the West Bank villages, resulting in the injury of at least two people, including a female journalist. Witnesses from Reuters said that about 80 settlers, some carrying gas canisters, came down from a hill overlooking an olive grove where residents of the village of Abu Falah gathered to collect ripe fruits, an annual tradition that has a special place among them. Palestinians.

The settlers took up positions in the paths of olive trees. Some of them used slingshots to throw stones at Palestinians who went down the hill and picked up stones to defend themselves. Moataz Abdel Hadi (42 years old), a farmer who witnessed the attack in Abu Falah, said that the settlers aimed to attack the Palestinians and force them to leave their homes. During the attack, at least two Israeli army vehicles quickly crossed the area, and the Palestinians rushed to escape through the dust raised by the two vehicles.

The attack continued after the army arrived, as Israeli soldiers fired tear gas in the direction of the Palestinians who avoided the two jeeps.

The sound of live bullets being fired was heard in the area, and a Reuters photographer saw at least one armed settler shooting. The Israeli army has not yet responded to a request for comment. Palestinian medics said that two people were wounded and taken to two hospitals in the Ramallah area. Among them is Heidi Levin, a photojournalist for the Washington Post. The newspaper has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Organization: Escalation of settler violenceThe Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din, which monitors settlement activity, said that acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have escalated with at least 170 attacks occurring since September 27, that is, with the beginning of the annual olive harvest season. Settlers have gained boldness during the era of the right-wing government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, who oversaw the rapid expansion of settlements and small settlement outposts in Throughout the West Bank. Netanyahu criticized the violence, but took only a few steps to curb these incidents, which sparked international condemnation and plans from Israel's old allies, including Britain, to impose sanctions. The West Bank is inhabited by about 500,000 settlers and at least three million Palestinians. United Nations bodies and most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law relating to military occupation.

Israel rejects this, and considers the lands disputed, not occupied.

Abu Falah's attack came after a similar attack that occurred on Friday morning in the area of ​​Turmus Aya village, where settlers burned three cars after attacking a group of farmers harvesting olives. The Israeli army has not yet responded to a request for comment. Salah Abu al-Niswa, who witnessed the attack in Turmus Ayya, said that the settlers “sneaked up behind each other like thieves... and whoever keeps him alone... they start beating him.”