Masked Israeli settlers launched a violent attack on a group of Palestinian farmers and foreign activists in the town of Qusra in the West Bank. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, resulted in injuries to several individuals, including foreign volunteers who were part of the Defend Palestine campaign.
The Defend Palestine campaign aims to provide protection to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from settler attacks. During the attack, two Americans and a German national sustained suspected fractures, while another American volunteer suffered minor injuries. Additionally, one of the Palestinian farmers had to be hospitalized due to the assault.
According to accounts from the victims, the group of activists was accompanying Palestinian farmers to their olive fields, which had been inaccessible since October due to previous attacks by Israeli settlers. The attackers, described as young settlers, approached the group and began assaulting them with thick wooden sticks resembling baseball bats.
Video footage captured by the activists showed the harrowing ordeal as they attempted to retreat while being physically assaulted. The settlers not only used sticks but also threw rocks at the volunteers, causing injuries and damage to personal belongings.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal, with over 700,000 Jewish settlers currently residing in the area. The Palestinians seek the territory for a future independent state, further complicating the ongoing conflict.
In response to the attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) condemned the violence and dispatched soldiers to the scene. The IDF stated that warning shots were fired to disperse the attackers, who fled upon the arrival of the military personnel.
The injured activists were subsequently taken to a hospital in Nablus for treatment by the Palestinian Red Crescent. Images from the hospital showed the victims with visible cuts and bruises, highlighting the severity of the assault.
The incident underscores the urgent need for international protection in Palestine, as emphasized by Mohammed Khatib, an organizer with the Defend Palestine campaign. Despite the physical injuries sustained by the volunteers, they expressed solidarity with the Palestinians who face similar violence on a daily basis.
This attack follows a separate incident on Saturday, where Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian family in the West Bank. The escalating violence in the region continues to pose significant challenges to peace and stability.
