Israeli settlers attack Palestinian shepherds in West Bank
Israeli settlers in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank reportedly attacked Palestinian shepherds with rocks, sticks, and stun guns over the weekend, The New Arab and agencies reported on 17th of June.
The perpetrators also smashed a car belonging to an Israeli activist assisting an injured Palestinian. “They came in order to make threats and act violently, they destroyed the vehicle, the tires were punctured,” an Israeli activist told Haaretz. “These were not small stones.”
Member of the Jordan Valley Activists group Nurit Ofer recalled a vehicle approaching the scene that one of the shepherds recognised. When an Israeli settler tried to enter the vehicle, Ofer tried to stop them. “They knocked my phone out of my hand twice — one of them also punched me,” he said. “The shepherd got a kick in the back, and one rock they threw at the end hit my leg.” Another activist received a cut to his arm and a shepherd was taken away by ambulance.
A video of the assault shows presumably Israeli teenagers — lashing out at the female activist holding the camera.
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The group of attacks came from the self-described “religious community” of Shadmot Mehola, which is close to the Jordan border, has grocery stores, hotels, amenities and access to main highways. The local Palestinian population, by comparison, lives under constant military surveillance.
Israeli police only arrived after the mob had departed. The unarmed Palestinian shepherds and peace activists had been left defenceless.
On April 17th, the Guardian revealed that they had been shared planning documents for more settlements across East Jerusalem. “Such moves directly undermine conditions necessary for a viable independent Palestinian state with a contiguous capital in East Jerusalem,” said Amy Cohen of Israeli human rights NGO Ir Amim. “All this while bringing planning and building for Palestinians in the city to a complete stop.”
The New Arab and agencies
