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Settlers hurl rocks at Palestinian cars

September 26, 2017 at 9:01 pm

Israeli settlers pelted rocks at Palestinian cars in the occupied district of Hebron today, while others levelled land near occupied Bethlehem in order to allegedly construct a sewage system servicing surrounding illegal settlements.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that dozens of settlers, some of whom were armed, congregated on Road 60 near the Palestinian villages of Bani Naim and Yatta, outside the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, and pelted rocks and empty bottles at Palestinian vehicles.

Wafa noted that several vehicles were damaged as a result but no one was hurt.

In a separate incident, Wafa reported that Israeli settlers from the illegal Hitmar settlement levelled Palestinian-owned agricultural lands in the Bethlehem-area village of Al-Khader in the southern West Bank.

Ahmad Salah, a local activist, told Wafa that the settlers were planning to build a sewage system for settlements in the area which would prevent Palestinian farmers from accessing their lands.

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Some 600,000 Israeli settlers reside in the occupied Palestinian territory in violation of international law. The international community has repeatedly called their presence and rising population the main impediment to potential peace in the region.

According to UN documentation, there were a total of 107 reported settler attacks against Palestinians and their properties in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2016, with 132 attacks being reported since the beginning of 2017.

Many Palestinian activists and rights groups have accused Israel of fostering a “culture of impunity” for Israeli settlers and soldiers committing violent acts against Palestinians.