Israeli settlers today assaulted a Palestinian shepherd in Kafr Malik village, east of Ramallah, according to local sources.
They said that a group of settlers riding horses, under military protection, barged their way into al-Khallal area in the village, brutally beat a local herder while he was grazing his sheep and chased his sheep out of the village.
The villagers rushed to the scene to expel the assailants.
The recent uptick of settler attacks has prompted the European Union to call on Israel to take measures to protect the Palestinians, expressing its concern about the increasing violence of Israeli settlers in the West Bank
“Under IHL (international humanitarian law), IL (international law), authorities (of Israel) must take all necessary measures to protect Palestinians and their property against settler violence,” the EU Delegation to the Palestinians tweeted in April.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
Settler violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.
There are over 700,000 Israeli settlers living in colonial settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)