HEBRON– Hundreds of colonial Israeli settlers guarded by army went on a rampage today through the neighborhood of Bab Al-Zawiya in the old city of Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.
Witnesses told WAFA that hundreds of settlers terrorized the local Palestinian residents and assaulted shop keepers as they held a provocative rally through the neighborhood, under the pretext of celebrating the Jewish holidays.
Settlers also attacked vendors’ stalls and passers-by as they walked through the alleys of the neighborhood, backed and guarded by Israeli army and police.
Last night, Israeli settler fanatics hurled stones and empty bottles at homes of Palestinians at Jaber neighborhood in the old city of Hebron, forcing the local Palestinian residents to stay home to avoid being hurt. No injuries were reported.
The city of Hebron is home to roughly 200,000 Palestinians and about 800 notoriously aggressive Israeli settlers who live in colonial compounds in the heart of the city, heavily guarded by Israeli troops.
Israel has expelled the only international monitors protecting Hebron’s Palestinians from the 800 heavily guarded settlers, one of whom committed the 1994 massacre that triggered their deployment.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by the Israeli occupation authorities.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency