RAMALLAH, Monday, April 08, 2019 (WAFA) – A Palestinian sustained injuries on Monday overnight after Israeli settlers stormed Jibiya village, north of Ramallah city, and hurled stones at villagers.

Deputy mayor of Jibiya Fakhruddin Shalash told WAFA that a group of settlers stormed the village and hurled stones at villagers, lightly injuring a villager in his head.

Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Settlers‘ violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

Israel imposes harsh penalties on Palestinian stone throwers, as it passed a legislation in 2015 allowing for up to 20 years in prison if charged with throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and a minimum of three years for the act of throwing a stone at an Israeli. In contrast, Israeli settlers are rarely prosecuted under the same standards of the law.

Between 500,000 and 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.

All settlements across the West Bank are illegal under international law, particularly article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which establishes that the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

K.F.