Report:

First Half of 2017 Saw Nearly 90% Increase in Israeli Settler Violence against Palestinians

Rasa - A new United Nations report said that Israeli settlers' violence against Palestinian civilians has almost doubled in the first half of the 2017.

News ID: 431682

Date: 14 August 2017 - 22:41

RNA - During the six-month period, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented 89 incidents attributed to Zionist settlers resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents) or in damage to Palestinian property (56 incidents), Mondoweiss reported.

On a monthly average, this represents an increase of 88 per cent compared with 2016. These incidents led to three Palestinian fatalities and 48 Palestinian injuries, including seven children, as well as damage to over 2,700 trees and 52 vehicles, amongst other consequences.

These figures exclude incidents involving threat and intimidation, trespass on private property or access restrictions imposed by zionist settlers which did not result in casualties or damage. Although such incidents are more frequent, they are difficult to monitor systematically. This trend has also been noted by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA or Shabak), which, according to Israeli media reports, has been calling on the government to adopt urgent measures to prevent further deterioration.

The finding comes just a few days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that “no other government has done as much for colonial settlement in the land of Israel as the government which I lead”.

Settlement activity also has tripled in 2017, compared to the previous year. In January alone, Israel approved 2,500 new settler units in violation of international law and three specific United Nation Security Council resolutions.

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