QALQILYA, Friday, December 20, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli Jewish settlers today overnight torched two Palestinian vehicles and scrawled hate graffiti in the latest spate of Israeli settler attacks in Far‘ata village, located to the west of Qalqilya city, said a municipal source.

Mayor of Far‘ata Abdul-Mun‘im Shanna‘a told WAFA that the villagers woke up in the early morning hours and were shocked to find out that two vehicles were set on fire and anti-Palestinian graffiti were scrawled nearby.

Shann‘a noted that this was not the first settlers’ attack against the village with the ultimate purpose of terrorizing and displacing the villagers.

The settlers are believed to be from Gil‘ad Zoher, an Israeli colonial settlement outpost which is located to the east of Qalqilya city and inhabited by hardcore fanatic Jews.

In 2010, Far‘ata was described by prominent Israeli journalist Gideon Levy as one of the Palestinian villagers were people “live in terror of the settlers and their accursed ‘Price Tag’, and nobody came to their defense.”

Many Palestinian activists and rights groups have repeatedly blamed Israel for fostering a “culture of impunity” for Jewish settlers committing violent acts against Palestinians.

“Price tag” refers to an underground anti-Palestinian Israeli group that routinely attacks Palestinians in the occupied territories and inside Israel.

The Israeli government still refuses to label it as a terrorist organization and considers it only as group of vandals. It also considers such acts as hate crimes against Palestinians.

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.

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

K.F.