Palestinian Foreign Ministry says failure to halt Gaza genocide behind rise in West Bank settler attacks
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry says the international failure to halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza is fuelling widespread settler crimes across the occupied West Bank. The statement, posted on X, comes after reports of settler attacks in the city of el-Bireh, where settlers burned several Palestinians’ vehicles.
“This assault is viewed as an extension of widespread settler crimes across the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and as a replication of the genocide and forced displacement campaign endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza, which has persisted unabated for 395 days,” it said.
While several foreign states have issued individual sanctions, the ministry said settlers “would not have committed such heinous crimes without the protection and immunity granted by the Israeli political leadership”.
It called on the international community to take more comprehensive measures to “hold all entities responsible for promoting or engaging in settler terrorism and systematic land annexation against the Palestinian people”.
Israeli settlers attack olive pickers in West Bank’s Hebron: Report
Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian olive pickers in Berin in the Hebron governorate of the occupied West Bank, Wafa reports. Locals told the news agency the settlers attacked farmers with sticks and stones and tried to steal one of their vehicles.
The Israeli army also prevented two families from reaching their land.
Olive cultivation is crucial in the Palestinian economy and is used for oil, soap and table olives among other things. About 80,000 to 100,000 Palestinian families rely on the olive harvest for their income, which takes place between October and November.
Israeli settlers attack Burqa village in West Bank, torch olive fields
Israeli settlers have attacked the Palestinian village of Burqa near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and burned olive fields, according to witnesses.
A group of settlers set fire to olive fields in the area and hurled rocks at Palestinian homes, triggering confrontations with local villagers, the witnesses said.
It came hours after some 20 Palestinian vehicles were burned in a settler attack early this morning in nearby el-Bireh.
