Palestinians call for international civil protection in light of increased settler attacks
Defend Palestine, a local initiative calling for international civil protection from Israeli violence, has said that there is a dire need for foreign supporters to come to the “West Bank en masse and be part of an organised international protective presence”.
This call came in response to a settler attack in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, in which Israelis from the Esh Kodesh settlement attacked four foreign activists and a Palestinian, injuring them.
Earlier, we reported about this attack in which settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers trying to tend to their lands. Soldiers at the scene did not detain any of the settlers, the campaign said.
Defend Palestine said that three foreigners sustained wounds that required hospitalisation. A German national was hit in the face and arm with a metal pipe, and two American volunteers were clobbered with wooden batons. A fourth American volunteer was hit with rocks and had her phone stolen.
Mohammed Khatib, a campaign organiser, said in a statement: “The attack today, not even 24 hours after the ICJ ruled that Israeli occupation is illegal and that settlers enjoy impunity when exercising violence, serves as further proof for the dire need for international civil protection in Palestine”.
Israeli Settlers in the West Bank Brutally Attack and Injure Palestinians and International Volunteers Only One Day After ICJ Rules Israeli Occupation Illegal #voices_from_the_land #FAZ3A #DefendPalestine pic.twitter.com/jI8O5fyegH
— Popular Struggle CC (@PSCC_Palestine) July 21, 2024
Israeli forces raid West Bank homes
Israeli soldiers have raided several locations across the occupied West Bank tonight.
Here’s the latest:
- Israeli forces raided several homes in the town of as-Samu, south of Hebron, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report.
- Israeli forces also raided several neighbourhoods in the city of Qalqilya, the Wafa news agency said.
The latest raids come after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful and Israel’s practices of imposing military law on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank amount to racial segregation and apartheid.
Palestinians call for Israel to release their loved ones in West Bank protest
Palestinians marched in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, holding photographs of their loved ones held in Israeli military prisons and interrogation centres
The protest came as Palestinian prisoners’ groups said Israeli forces have arrested more than 9,750 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 7
Negotiations for an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli captives and an end to the war in Gaza are expected to continue later this week
