JERUSALEM, July 6, 2017 (WAFA) – Israeli settlers assaulted Wednesday Palestinian civilians, including children, in the neighborhood of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, according to a local source.
Zuhair Rajabi, who speaks for residents of Batn al-Hawa area of Silwan, told WAFA that settlers and their guards who occupy buildings in the Arab neighborhood assaulted children and residents in Batn al-Hawa, spraying them with pepper.
He said one woman and her infant son had to be taken to hospital for treatment following the assault.
Settler violence against Palestinians is routine in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the attackers are rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
According to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, “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,” stressed the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem.
M.N./M.K.
