JEBNIN,
August 2, 2015 (WAFA) –Israeli settlers Sunday continued their acts of harassment
and attacks against Palestinians passing
through Jenin-Nablus Road, according to security sources.
Settlers
raided the evicted Israeli settlement outpost of Tarsala, which was evicted in
2005, and attacked Palestinians passing through the Jenin-Nablus Road; settlers
used anti-Arab words against Palestinians and drove their cars on the Road in a provocative manner,
harassing Palestinians.
Only
last Week, Dozens of extremist settlers
gathering near the evicted settlement to the south of Jenin, rioted and
committed acts of violence against Palestinians.
On
Friday, Settlers set fire to two Palestinian homes in Nablus’ village of Duma,
burning toddler Ali Dawabsheh to death, while his Parents and 4-year-old
brother sustained third degree burns.
The
Arson attack was widely condemned, including by the US, UN, Arab and various
other countries, and described as a terror act.
Al-Haq
human rights center said, “Attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West
Bank against members of the Palestinian population and their property are an
extensive, long-term, and worsening phenomenon.”
In
2013, a report issued by the United Nations International Fact-Finding Mission
on Settlements highlighted the failure of the Israeli authorities to enforce
the law by investigating such incidents and taking measures against their
perpetrators.
“The
Fact-Finding Mission came to the 'clear conclusion that there is
institutionalized discrimination against the Palestinian people when it comes
to addressing violence,' said the center.
It
added that, “Acts of settler violence are intended, organized, and publicly
represented to influence the political decisions of Israeli State authorities,”
adding that, “For settlers, some acts of violence facilitate the transfer of
Palestinians off their land to make way for the construction of settlements, in
the expectation that the Israeli authorities will eventually formally recognize
the settlement's establishment or expansion.”
It
said that, “Other acts of settler violence are intended to exert a toll on the
Israeli government for any measure that negatively affects settler interests,
as a form of retaliation against restrictions on settlement construction or
evacuations of settlements.”
A
report published by the Israeli human rights organization of Yesh Din stated
that Israeli settlers enjoy widespread impunity for their attacks against
Palestinians in the West Bank.
According
to international humanitarian law, as the occupying power in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT), Israel is charged with ensuring the security and
safety of the residents of the OPT. However, Israel has neglected this obligation
for decades.
Acts
of violence are being committed by Israeli civilians against Palestinians in
the West Bank on a daily basis, manifesting in many forms of attacks against
people and destruction of their property.
Seven
Israeli settler attacks resulting in Palestinian injuries or property damage
were recorded by OCHA in a report covering the period 30 June - 6 July 2015.
There
are around 341 thousand settlers and 100 settlement outposts in the occupied
Palestinian territory, particularly in area C, under full Israeli control and
which constitutes about 60 percent of West Bank land, according to UN
statistics.
Settlements
are illegal under international law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth
Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying power’s
civilian population into occupied territory.
T.R.
