Description

NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers released sheep into a field belonging to a Palestinian family on Tuesday morning near Nablus, damaging a large area of the farmers' wheat fields, a Palestinian official said

Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement-related activities in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from the illegal outpost of Esh Kodesh released hundreds of sheep into wheat fields into fields in Jalud Meadows south of Nablus.

The sheep damaged more than 45 dunams (11 acres) of wheat in the process.

The Jewish settlers of Esh Kodesh regularly harass and attack Palestinians from nearby villagers, including Jalud, and in recent months they have regularly invaded the village and targeted agricultural areas belonging to local farmers. Many of the attacks are intended to make life difficult for locals in order to force them to leave and allow settlers to expand their settlements.

In January, villagers in the Qusra and Jalud area managed to apprehend a group of settlers who had attempted to attack them and their property, holding them for several hours in a house.

Settler attacks against Palestinians and their property are routine and often happen in the presence of Israeli military forces.

Israeli authorities rarely investigate crimes carried out by settlers against Palestinian communities.