A group of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian residents of the southern occupied West Bank village of al-Tiwani, and attempted to set fire to the village’s mosque, according to locals.
Locals from al-Tiwani, located in the South Hebron Hills, told Ma’an News Agency that a group of 30 settlers from the Maon and Havat Maon settlements raided the village under the protection of Israeli soldiers.
Settlers reportedly threw rocks at Palestinians and their homes, and attempted to set fire to the village mosque, but were stopped by locals.
Jumaa Ribai, a resident of al-Tiwani, said that “yesterday, the settlers broke my car and threw stones at my house, and today they are renewing their attack on the village and residents.”
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Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.
The Palestinian government has no jurisdiction over Israelis in the West Bank, and acts carried out by Israeli settlers often occur in the presence of Israeli military forces who rarely act to protect Palestinian residents.
The majority of settler thefts committed against Palestinians are met with impunity, with Israelis rarely facing consequences for such thefts.
Only 1.9 percent of complaints submitted by Palestinians against Israeli settler attacks or theft result in a conviction.
