SALFIT, Israeli settlers tonight pelted stones at Palestinian vehicles driving near the village of Haris to the west of Salfit, according to eyewitnesses.
Settlers, backed by Israel forces, gathered at the western entrance to the town of Haris and attacked Palestinian cars with stones, causing damage to several cars.
Clashes reportedly broke out between the village residents and the forces and settlers, during which the army fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters toward residents who rushed to defend their homes and properties.
No injuries or arrests were reported.
Israeli settlers’ vandalism in the occupied West Bank is routine and is done with full backing by the Israeli authorities, said the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
“Settler violence and vandalism take place with full backing by the Israeli authorities. Sometimes soldiers take part in the assault; at other times, they stand idly by. The police make no substantial effort to investigate the incidents, nor takes measures to prevent them or stop them in real-time,” it said.
Israel benefits from the repercussions, as settler violence has gradually dispossessed Palestinians of more and more areas in the West Bank, paving the way for a state takeover of land and resources, said B’Tselem.
Source: Palestine News & Info Agency