Activists are blocked by Israeli security forces from reaching a land confiscated by Israeli settlers in the al-Makhrur area near Beit Jala in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on 15 August 2024. (Hazem Bader/AFP)
Dozens of Israeli settlers, some wearing masks, attacked a
Palestinian village near the city of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank,
burning cars and killing at least one person, authorities said on Thursday.
The Palestinian health ministry said one Palestinian was
killed and another critically wounded by Israeli settlers’ gunfire during the
incident in the village of Jit, the latest in a series of attacks by violent
settlers in the West Bank.
Footage shared on social media showed cars and houses on
fire following the attacks.
The White House said late on Thursday attacks by settlers on
Palestinian civilians in the West Bank were “unacceptable and must
stop.”
A White House spokesperson added:
Israeli authorities must take measures to protect all communities from harm, this includes intervening to stop such violence, and holding all perpetrators of such violence to account.
The Israeli military said police and army units intervened
and arrested one Israeli. It condemned the incident, which it said diverted
security forces from other responsibilities.
The military said it was examining reports about the death
of the Palestinian.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a
statement saying he viewed the incident with “utmost severity”.
“Those responsible for any offence will be apprehended
and tried,” it said.
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Palestinians regularly accuse Israeli security forces of
standing by and allowing groups of violent settlers to attack their houses and
villages and the incidents have attracted increasing concern internationally.
The United States and a number of European countries have
imposed sanctions on violent settlers and called repeatedly on Israel to do
more to curb the attacks.
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