Description

Photo: Israeli forces talk with Jewish settlers from the Esh Kodesh outpost as they stage a sit-in to prevent Palestinians from working in their fields, Jan. 2, 2013. (AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh)
_____

NABLUS (Ma'an) -- As attacks by Israeli settlers continue throughout the occupied West Bank, groups of settlers attacked Palestinians and their farmland in Nablus-area villages Friday afternoon.

Dozens of Israeli settlers attempted an attack on Palestinian farmers who were picking olives in their land in the the village of Yanun.

A Palestinian Authority official who monitors settler activity, Ghassan Daghlas, told Ma'an that Israeli settlers tried to attack the farmers but were stopped by local guarding committees.

The small village of Yanun is one of several villages in the Nablus area surrounded by Israeli settlements and outposts known for being home to extremist settlers who often carry out attacks under the armed protection of the Israeli military.

Daghlas said that around 50 settlers from the illegal Elon Moreh settlement east of Nablus attacked al-Rajeh area east of Rujeib village, destroying dozens of olive trees.

Israeli settlers throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem have continued to carry out violent reprisals since two settlers were shot dead near Nablus on Oct. 1.

The attacks have forced many Palestinian villages to form voluntary groups to guard their communities, as the Palestinian Authority has no jurisdiction over settlers and Israeli forces rarely intervene to protect Palestinians being attacked.

Earlier Friday a group of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the al-Ras and al-Jaabari neighborhoods of Hebron, throwing rocks and shouting slogans against Arabs and Palestinians.
In the neighboring city of Yatta, a group of Israeli settlers also attacked a Palestinian home, smashing property.

Hundreds of right-wing Israelis marched in Jerusalem on Thursday night shouting "Death to Arabs" and attempted to cross into Palestinian neighborhoods, according to Israeli media.

On Wednesday, around 70 settlers reportedly gathered in the Tal al-Rumeida neighborhood in the center of Hebron attempting to attack Palestinian homes.

Overnight Tuesday, dozens of Israeli settlers gathered near the main entrance to Majdal Bani Fadil south of Nablus and closed the main road, before local Palestinians clashed with the group and drove them off.