Israeli settlers charged with terrorism for attacks on Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Three Israeli settlers have been charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism after attacking Palestinians in their vehicles in the occupied West Bank in August. According to the Times of Israel, the indictment follows a joint investigation by the Shin Bet security agency and the Israel Police. Under the 2016 Law for the Fight Against Terrorism, such offences carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

The brutal assaults occurred during the early hours of 9 August, between midnight and 4am, near the Palestinian villages of Burin and Awarta in the occupied Palestinian territory. The three Israelis launched a series of attacks against Palestinians after one of the settlers claimed that he had been assaulted by Palestinians on a nearby road.

The Israeli suspects, an 18-year-old from Bat Yam and two 17-year-olds from the settlements of Elon Moreh near Nablus, set off from the Itamar settlement in their car, targeting Palestinian vehicles.

The first attack occurred near the entrance to Burin, where the Israeli suspects blocked the road. After stopping a Palestinian vehicle, they used metal baseball bats to smash the windows and windshield, while throwing stones at the vehicle. The driver and passenger managed to flee.

The suspects then forced another Palestinian car to stop near Awarta. They again smashed the vehicle’s windows and windshield and physically assaulted the driver with a baseball bat.

All three settlers have been charged with conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, aggravated assault and stone throwing, all of which were done with “nationalistic or ideological motives with intent to arouse fear and panic among the public,” among other offences.

In a joint statement, the Shin Bet security service and Israel Police said, “The security forces will continue to thwart and prevent terrorism of all kinds, in all sectors. More arrests are expected in the coming days.”

According to the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission, far-right Jewish settlers have carried out at least 1,760 attacks since the beginning of 2024. Nine Palestinians have been killed by the settlers in the same period. Altogether, at least 692 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,700 have been wounded by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank since October last year.

The escalation follows a significant ruling by the International Court of Justice on 19 July which declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories to be unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. All of Israel’s settlements and the settlers who live in them are illegal under international law.

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