Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, attacked today Palestinian farmers and seized an agricultural tractor while they were working on blowing their land in the Masafer Yatta area to the south of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank, according to a local activist.
Coordinator for the Anti-Wall and Settlement Committee Rateb al-Jabour, said settlers from the Israeli settlement of Ma’on, built illegally on Palestinian land, attacked farmers while they were working on their land threatened with seizure by Israel, and tried to block their access to the land.
Israeli forces reportedly stood idly by and did nothing to stop the settlers.
Settlers also seized an agricultural tractor belonging to Rabe’s family.
Farmers in the Masafer Yatta area are subjected to frequent attacks by Israeli settlers and the army with the aim of forcing them out of their land for the benefit of settlement expansion.
Extremist Israeli settlers’ violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities. They often synchronize their raids and assaults with soldiers, who provide them with cover and protection.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency