German ambassador demands persecution of settler violence
Extreme right-wing settlers attack Palestinians working in their olive groves in the West Bank. They also assaulted human rights activists who came to protect them. Among the injured is a young German.
German Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, has condemned the attack by radical settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "International and Israeli activists, among them a German citizen, were attacked by extremist settlers in the West Bank as they peacefully helped Palestinians in their olive groves," the diplomat wrote on Twitter. "These attacks are well-documented criminal behavior and should be pursued with all legal means." Seibert also shared a video that allegedly shows the attack.
The incident reportedly took place on Sunday in the Palestinian village of Kusra near the city of Nablus. A group of volunteers had accompanied Palestinian farmers to their olive groves to ensure their safety and protect the Palestinians. In the video taken from within the activist group, masked individuals are seen attacking them with wooden sticks. Several of the victims, including a young German, were subsequently treated at Nablus Hospital.
Role of the Israeli army unclear
Both the German broadcaster "Tagesschau" and US network CNN reported on the incident, speaking with the victims. The Israeli military confirmed the attack to CNN but stated that they had given warning shots in the air and condemned any violence. The activists, however, reportedly claimed that the military had fired shots at a Palestinian.
Since the start of the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2021, violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has significantly increased. Settlers have been burning down houses and cars, destroying fields and olive groves, and attacking Palestinian residents. At the same time, militant Palestinians have also escalated their activities. They engage in battles with the Israeli military or attack settlements.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in 1967. Today, approximately three million Palestinians and 700,000 Israeli settlers live there. Only last Friday, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled in a non-binding legal opinion that Israel's occupation and settlement building are illegal.
- In response to the increasing violence against Palestinians, Steffen Seibert, the German Ambassador to Israel, called for the pursuit of extremist settlers involved in the attack through all legal means.
- German chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over the escalating tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, particularly in light of the Israeli settlement construction in Palestinian territories.
- Human rights organizations and diplomats from various nations, including the European Union, have urged the Israeli government to take decisive action against the ongoing settlement construction, which has led to a decrease in human rights for Palestinians and negatively impacted peace negotiations.
