Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian town in West Bank

By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Illegal Israeli settlers attacked the town of Huwara in the northern West Bank on Friday, targeting Palestinians and their properties, said a report.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that “settlers, protected by Israeli forces, attacked the town of Huwara, south of Nablus.”

“Clashes erupted in the center of Huwara following the settlers’ attack on residents who were attempting to rehabilitate a commercial property that includes a bakery, which Israeli forces had closed in October,” WAFA added.

The agency added that settlers stoned Palestinian vehicles while Israeli soldiers simultaneously fired live bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas in the town center, but no injuries were reported.

Videos circulating on social media showed illegal settlers, some armed, assaulting Palestinian businesses, homes, and vehicles with stones, while Israeli soldiers present at the scene did not intervene to stop the attacks.

The attack began with a few settlers and then grew to dozens, witnesses told Anadolu.

This incident followed a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier on Friday, affirming that Palestinians have the right to self-determination and that existing Israeli settlements on occupied lands must be evacuated, as the Israeli settlement activity violates the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Estimates indicate that around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal under international law.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip that killed nearly 38,800 people after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Mohammad Sio