The settlers also blocked the participants and prevented them from leaving the place for a long time. The Israeli police were called but did not show up. Soldiers came and broke up the meeting, but did not take action against the violent perpetrators. An Israeli army spokesman said the report was being examined.
The incident reportedly occurred at the Ain Samia spring near Ramallah. According to Peace Now, settlers took control of the spring last year. Since then, Palestinians have been denied access and water pipes that supply surrounding villages have been cut.
Amichai said: “No violent settler will stop us from visiting every place in the occupied territories and showing the Israeli public the truth about organized settler terror in the service of the annexation government.” He called on the Israeli police to immediately bring the perpetrators of violence to justice.
Since the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023 and the Gaza war it triggered, violence by radical Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank has increased significantly. The EU foreign ministers have agreed on sanctions against radical settlers.
The Israeli commander responsible for the West Bank, Avi Bluth, recently clearly condemned the settler violence. “If an Israeli-Jewish person decides to set fire to a house with its occupants, set fire to a vehicle with its occupants, or hit someone in the head until they lose consciousness – then this should henceforth be described as an act of terrorism,” he explained. Bluth said these acts were illegal and immoral and “not Jewish either.” He warned that settler violence could spark a new Palestinian uprising in the West Bank.
However, the Israeli security forces continue to be accused of not taking decisive action against the phenomenon or even of siding with aggressive settlers. (sda/dpa)