On Sunday, under the protection of Israeli soldiers, Israeli settlers attacked several Palestinian villages and set a number of cars on fire throughout the West Bank.
At the entrance to the village of Beitin, which is 5 kilometers (3 miles) northeast of Ramallah, settlers attacked Palestinians physically during a late-night rampage, according to local sources cited by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. They also broke several cars’ windshields and set them afire.
The report states that Israeli soldiers were observing the attack from a distance of a few meters.
They only intervened to push back the Palestinians who had come out to repel settlers, it claimed. They launched stun grenade bombs and tear gas canisters at Palestinian homes and young protesters.
Palestinian commuters were attacked by settlers in the village of Haris in the northern West Bank, the report said.
Haris resident Taysir Clip claimed that while he was traveling home with his wife and kids in the car, settlers attacked him and blocked the entrance to the village.
Locals had gathered outside to put an end to the settlers’ violence when the Israeli soldiers intervened to scatter them. According to the report, they fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian homes, causing breathing problems for locals.
When Israeli settlers broke into the village of Abu Ghosh, which is 10 kilometers (six miles) west of al-Quds, late on Sunday, four cars were also set on fire, and graffiti was painted on the walls of Palestinian homes.
In the occupied territories, especially in the West Bank, incidents of sabotage and violence committed by settlers against Palestinians and their property are now commonplace. Jews who are extremists continue to damage Palestinian properties with price tag attacks.
However, Israeli authorities hardly ever bring charges against settlers, and the vast majority of cases are dropped because the police purposefully did not conduct a thorough investigation.
Settler violence includes arson attacks on homes and mosques, throwing of stones, destroying crops and olive trees, and attacking vulnerable residences.
Israeli settlers have recently increased their attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
