Israeli settlers assault foreign volunteers in West Bank
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Foreign volunteers, placed as a protective barrier for Palestinians in danger of Israeli violence in the West Bank, have been beaten and attacked by settlers.
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David Hummel, an American-German, injured after being attacked by Israeli settlers, July 21, 2024 (Social Media)
Foreign volunteers helping Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank were attacked and assaulted by Israeli settlers, with some having to be transported to the hospital to receive medical treatment for reported injuries, activists stated on Sunday.
Eight volunteers, most of whom are American, were attacked by a group of 11 Israeli settlers from the Esh Kodesh illegal settlement while working in an olive grove near the Palestinian village of Qusra, David Hummel, an American-German volunteer, said.
"We were standing there peacefully, not a threat to anyone when they started coming towards us and pushing us down the path," he told AFP, adding "They started attacking and beating us all with sticks and metal pipes and they were throwing rocks as well at us."
Hummel described the attack as "very violent" and showed AFP his bruises sustained after the settlers beat his legs, arms, and jaw.
Two women out of six were among those transported to the hospital for medical treatment, the mayor of the village, Hani Odeh, revealed. He further affirmed that occupation soldiers at the scene fired warning shots to drive the volunteers and farmers away.
According to the mayor, the volunteers have been in Qusra for around a month and were deployed to provide aid to farmers clearing the land after settlers burned it down a while ago.
The volunteers work with the International Solidarity Movement, a non-governmental organization that deploys people as a "protective presence" for Palestinians in the West Bank amid the growing setter violence perpetrated against civilian natives by the colonizers.
US imposes sanctions on Israeli 'extremists' over West Bank violence
Settler and military violence has escalated in the occupied West Bank since October 7. At least 579 Palestinians have been deliberately killed in confrontations and Israeli raids on the West Bank.
Last week, the United States slapped fresh sanctions on Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians, in addition to financial restrictions on four West Bank settlement outposts.
The State Department also blacklisted Lehava, which it defined as the "largest violent extremist organization in Israel" with over 10,000 members.
The use of the term "extremist" reflects an attempt to draw an allegedly distinct line between Israeli settlers and "extremist settlers".
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, "We strongly encourage the government of Israel to take immediate steps to hold these individuals and entities accountable," detailing that while these steps remain absent, "we will continue to impose our own accountability measures."
While being fully supportive of the Israeli war on Gaza, the US has repeatedly advised Benjamin Netanyahu not to escalate violence in the West Bank, something that draws international condemnation.
Miller added that "outposts like these have been used to disrupt grazing lands, limit access to wells, and launch violent attacks against neighboring Palestinians."
