The European Union condemned Friday, 26, 2023, Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and called to end Israeli violations against the Palestinian people.
The European Union Delegation to Palestine said it was “appalled” by the Israeli settler attacks.
“The EU condemns settler violence and calls on Israel to take decisive steps to ensure accountability and protect the Palestinian civilian population in line with its obligations under international law,” it said.
Earlier today, Friday, Israeli settlers from the “Adei Ad” Israeli settlement, northeast of Ramallah, attacked Palestinian farmers working on their land between the villages of Turmus Ayya and al-Mughayyir in the centre of the occupied West Bank, local Palestinian sources reported.
The settlers reportedly threw stones and fired bullets at defenceless farmers, wounding at least five people, including a critical injury.
Marzouq Abu Naim, a councillor at al-Mughayyir village, said that around 270 bales of hay and five civilian cars were torched by Israeli colonizers.
Israeli forces stormed the area “to provide protection for the settlers”, leading to confrontations between Palestinians and soldiers, Abu Naim added.
While Israeli settler violence is practised daily against Palestinians in the West Bank, settler attacks have grown at an alarming rate in recent years, the UN says.
Since 2016, Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians have been on a year-to-year upward trend, with at least 849 attacks recorded in 2022 – 228 of which led to casualties among Palestinians, UN figures indicate.
Nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers live in more than 250 illegal settlements and outposts throughout the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, which are contrary to international law.
