Amnesty International called on Israel on Monday to take action against West Bank settlers who have been poisoning Palestinians’ livestock.
In an issued statement, Amnesty said that over a period of several weeks, Jewish settlers have spread toxic chemicals on Palestinian fields south of the West Bank city of Hebron, accusing Israel with turning a blind eye.
‘To date, the Israeli authorities have not cleaned the toxic chemicals … and have not taken the necessary measures to investigate the matter with a view to bringing those responsible to justice,’ the statement said.
‘Palestinian farmers have been forced to quarantine their flocks and stop using the milk, cheese and meat from them, effectively depriving them of their livelihood,’ the statement added.
Harassment of Palestinians by settlers has been going on for years and has been the object of dozens of Palestinian complaints and several reports by human rights groups.
The first poisoning incident was discovered on March 22 in a field near the village of Tuwani.
Israeli police confirmed the presence of toxic substances in fields near several West Bank villages.
The Amnesty statement said settler attacks on Palestinians, as well as on international peace activists, have increased in recent months, but the authorities have failed to investigate.
Israeli police sources said that contrary to amnesty report, at least 10 settlers have been arrested for attacking Palestinian farmers.
