HEBRON, June 6, 2011 (WAFA) – Jewish settlers Monday assaulted Palestinian shepherds in Khirbet Umm al-Khair, a locale south of Hebron in the southern West Bank, according to witnesses.

Yaser al-Hathalen, one of the Khirbet’s residents, said a group of settlers from Karmiel settlement, constructed on Palestinian land, assaulted Palestinians in the locale under the protection of Israeli army and border guards.

The settlers stopped the shepherds from herding their sheep and forced them to turn back. Al-Hathelan added that they threatened to repeat the assault until the shepherds left the area.

Palestinians in Khirbet Umm al-Khair can’t reach their water wells to obtain drinking water for their cattle and suffer from settlers’ repeated attacks, said another resident. He called on human rights organizations to intervene to stop these attacks and provide protections for Palestinians, especially in areas adjacent to settlements and the Apartheid Wall.

In a related development, a group of armed settlers attacked Palestinians in the Old City in Hebron on Sunday night and sprayed them with waste water, terrorizing the unarmed civilians living there, said security sources.

Israeli army also raided Beit Awwa, a town west of Hebron, and arrested Naser al-Hroub, 25, after searching his house and tampering with its contents.

R.Q./F.J.