Dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians clashed Friday in the occupied West Bank village of Sinjil, where a march against recent settler attacks on nearby farmland was due to take place.
AFP journalists saw local residents and activists begin their march before locals reported that settlers had appeared on a hill belonging to the village.
Palestinian youths marched towards the hill to drive away the settlers, setting a fire at its base while the settlers threw rocks from the high ground.
Local Palestinians told AFP that settlers also started a fire.
Several Israeli military jeeps arrived at the scene and soldiers fired a few shots in the air, causing Palestinians to withdraw back to the village.
Anwar al-Ghafri, a lawyer and member of Sinjil’s city council, told AFP that such incidents are not new, but have intensified in recent days in the area, just north of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
“A group of settlers, with support and approval from the Israeli army, are carrying out organised attacks on citizens’ land,” he told AFP.
“They assault farmers, destroy crops, and prevent people from reaching or trying to reach their land,” he said, describing the events that had prompted Friday’s march.
The settlers involved in Friday’s clashes could not be reached for comment.
LND/MSA
For 24/7 breaking news :
English News – www.libertynewsbd.com
বাংলা সংবাদ – bangla.libertynewsbd.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/libertynewsbd/
Facebook (বাংলা) – www.facebook.com/libertynewsbangla/
X (Twitter) – www.x.com/libertynewsbd
Instagram – www.instagram.com/libertynewsbd
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@LibertyNewsBD
