Israeli settlers assault Palestinian, vandalize his vehicle south of Hebron

Israeli settlers Monday afternoon assaulted a Palestinian and vandalized his vehicle in At-Tuwani locality, east of Yatta city, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, according to a local activist.

Fouad al-Imour, a local anti-colonization activist, said that settlers, under military protection, stopped Ibrahim Mohammad as he was making his way back home, shouted profanities at him, and punctured the tires of his car.

Located 14 kilometers south of Hebron, At-Tuwani locality consists of two hamlets, and together with Masafer Yatta, a collection of almost 19 hamlets, cover 37,500 donums, and rely heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood.

Recently, Israel’s top court gave the army the green light to forcibly expel some 1,300 Palestinians living in twelve villages or hamlets making up the Masafer Yatta area, which relies heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood, marking one of the largest expulsions carried out by the State of Israel in recent decades.

Located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control, the area has been subjected to repeated Israeli violations by settlers and soldiers targeting their main source of living – livestock.

It has been designated as a closed Israeli military zone for training since 1980s and accordingly referred to as Firing Zone 918.

Israeli violations against the area include demolition of animal barns, homes and residential structures. Issuance of construction permits by Israel to local Palestinians in the area is non-existent.

Source: Palestine News & Info Agency