The Christian Peace Maker Teams (CPT) reported on Friday that extremist Israeli settlers, including the guard of the illegal Ma’on settlement, broke into the At Tuwani area, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and attacked local residents and members of the CPT.The CPT issued a press release stating that the settlers accused the Palestinians of stealing cherries and when the international activists approached them while filming and taking photographs the settlers started pushing and kicking them and the Palestinian residents.
The settlers also broke a video camera owned by members of the CPT.
Later on, more settlers and Palestinians arrived to the scene and scuffles were reported while Israeli soldiers and policemen stood and watched.
The policemen then ordered the Palestinians to move away while the settlers marched towards a Palestinian home where they started accusing local Palestinians of stealing the cherries.
Israeli policemen kidnapped five Palestinians and took them to a police station located in Keryat Arba’ illegal settlement. The police refused to take testimony from Palestinians and internationals, even those injured from settler aggression, the CPT reported.
The settlers remained on a Palestinian land for at least 90 minutes after the incident.
Two Palestinian residents and two internationals were treated for wounds at a local hospital.
