Illegal Israeli settlers attack village in northern West Bank
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Israeli settlers continue their attacks on Palestinians, attacking homes in the village of Qusra in the southern city of Nablus.
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Israeli settlers seen holding assault rifles in the West Bank on July 1, 2021. (AFP)
Israeli settlers attacked the village of Qusra in the southern city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, attacking the homes of Palestinians under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), reported Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
It reported that “The townspeople rushed to repel the attack, which led to clashes with the occupation army and settlers,” during which the army used “live bullets."
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society treated and transported a 29-year-old man to the hospital after he was injured during the confrontations in Qusra.
In the southern West Bank, Arif Jaber, an anti-settlement activist, told Anadolu that the IOF reinforced units in Palestinian neighborhoods under its occupation. “The occupation forces spread extensively in the Jaber neighborhood and Wadi al-Hussein around the old town of al-Khalil, and arrested at least five residents,” he added.
Jaber noted that since October 7, Palestinian neighborhoods in the city center have been mostly under curfew, experiencing raids, detention campaigns, and the forced displacement of residents.
Israeli settlers suffocating Palestinian shepherds with land theft
Settler violence and aggression against Palestinians have been ongoing since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza. Last week, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank reported an increase in land theft by armed Israeli settlers who are setting up temporary shepherding outposts and refusing to leave the region.
Shepherds living in the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley face numerous issues like their sheep being confined to enclosures. At the same time, the adjacent grazing field is unavailable owing to violent settlers who have taken over the region, the Israeli daily Haaretz said.
Human rights groups have stated that Israeli settlers in shepherding outposts are armed and have employed attack dogs to intimidate Palestinians, resulting in cattle deaths and property damage. To make matters worse, the expensive cost of food deprives these shepherds of their primary source of life.
Settler intimidation has caused 18 pastoral groups to leave their homes in the Jordan Valley, according to data released by the Israeli organization B'Tselem back in March.
