A number of fundamentalist Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian youth on Friday, in Ash-Shuhada Street, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene and proceeded to arrest the two Palestinians, while the settlers were not even questioned.The Maan News Agency reported that the settlers violently attacked the two Palestinian youth while they were crossing the street, punching and kicking them repeatedly. The soldiers “intervened” by taking the victims instead of the attackers.
The soldiers handcuffed the two Palestinians and took them to an undisclosed location.
Also on Friday, extremist settlers cut at least 100 olive trees that belong to Palestinian residents in the central West Bank district of Salfit.
Fundamentalist settlers groups have recently stepped up their assaults against the Palestinians, their orchards and lands and their property; they even went on to burn and deface several mosques and a church.
The settlers also vandalized property that belongs to activists of the Israeli Peace Now Movement.
Fundamentalist settlers have also attacked Israeli military and police vehicles, and blame them along, with Palestinian and Israeli peace groups, for the evacuation of several illegal settlement outposts that were dismantled by the army.
