Palestinians hurt in W. Bank settler assaults: Official

By Lubaba Thuqan

NABLUS, Palestine (AA) - At least three Palestinians were injured Tuesday in an attack by Jewish settlers near the West Bank city of Nablus, according to a local Palestinian official.

“About 60 settlers attacked a tractor driver who was driving along an agricultural road in the village of Einabus [located 12 kilometers south of Nablus],” Taleb Hamad, head of the village’s local council, told Anadolu Agency.

According to Hamad, who did not provide the name or age of the tractor driver, the settlers then proceeded to beat the victim “severely”.

“When [Palestinian] villagers arrived to the area, they were met by volleys of gunfire by the settlers, who were accompanied by Israeli army troops,” he said.

Hamad went on to assert that settlers from the nearby Yitzhar settlement had attacked and injured two other villagers shortly afterward, both of whom had since been taken to hospitals in Nablus.

According to witnesses and local officials, Palestinian villages on the outskirts of Nablus are the frequent target of attacks by Jewish settlers.