(AFP) – 1 hour ago
NABLUS, West Bank — Five Palestinian farmers were wounded in clashes with armed Israeli settlers in the West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian security services and witnesses said.
Israeli security forces fired tear-gas and arrested one Palestinian, the sources said, while Israel's military and border police declined to comment on the incident.
The clashes started after about 50 settlers, some firing guns in the air, hurled rocks at Palestinians who responded in kind, the sources said.
The witnesses said the Palestinians were picking olives near Qaryut village in the northern West Bank.
A settler told army radio that the Palestinians were faking the harvest and actually involved in "terrorist activities. They go to the fields to gather information to then commit attacks," said Dibi Degani.
Human rights groups have recorded numerous incidents over the years of Israeli settlers attacking Palestinian farmers during the olive picking season.
Palestinian farmers working near settlements are particularly at risk of attack by firebrand Israeli settlers who believe they have a God-given right to the Holy Land.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
No comments:
Post a Comment