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by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC $ Agencies

Three Palestinian farmers were injured, on Monday, after being attacked by a number of extremist Israeli settlers, in Aqraba village, south east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The three suffered several cuts and bruises.

Resident Maher Hashem Bani-Jaber, 36, told the WAFA News Agency that as he was in the family’s Olive orchard, along with his brother, Omar, 28, and their cousin, Hafeth, 24, at least six settlers, including three armed settlers, attacked them in Karama area, north of the village.

The residents were inspecting their Olive trees as part of the preparation for the olive harvest season.

The settlers used batons, stones and rifle-butts in attacking the residents causing several injuries and bruises.

Hashem said that his brother Omar managed to escape and rushed to the village to call for help. Dozens of residents rushed to the orchard and the settlers fled the scene. All wounded residents were moved to the Rafidia Hospital In Nablus.

Ghassan Douglas, in charge of Settlement File at the Palestinian Authority in the Northern Part of the West Bank, said that this attack "is part of dozens of organized attacks, and organized terrorist activities, carried out by extremist settler groups against the residents and their lands”.

He added that similar attacks against villagers and their orchards usually increase prior to, and during the olive harvest season.