HEBRON, May 18, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli settlers Wednesday attacked a Palestinian minor in central Hebron, in the southern West Bank, according to witnesses.

Witnesses said a number of Israeli settlers, residing in illegal West Bank Settlements, severally beat up Rami Abu ‘Aisheh, 16, while he was present near his home in Hebron’s Tel al-Rmedeh neighborhood.

Israeli forces reportedly detained the minor for attempting to defend himself from the settles’ attack.

According to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights and information center, “As the occupying force, Israel must protect the Palestinians in the West Bank. However, the Israeli authorities neglect to fulfill this responsibility and do not do enough to prevent Israeli civilians from attacking Palestinians, their property and their lands.”

“The undeclared policy of the Israeli authorities in response to these attacks is lenient and conciliatory. Perpetrators are rarely tried, and many cases are not investigated at all or are closed with no operative conclusions.”

The center said that [Israeli] security forces do not always deploy in advance to protect Palestinians from settler violence, even when such violence could be anticipated.

“As the occupying power in the West Bank, Israel is obligated to maintain public order and ensure the safety of the Palestinians in the West Bank, who are classified a protected population in international law,” said B’Tselem.

settlements are in violation of 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. The Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice have all confirmed that the construction and expansion of Israeli settlements and other settlement-related activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal under international law.

T.R.