Settlers attack two Palestinian villages in West Bank, Jerusalem

A group of Israeli settlers attacked the village of Beit Iksa on the outskirts of occupied Jerusalem and the village of Rammun to the east of the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday.

Head of Beit Iksa’s Village Council, Saada Al-Khatib, told Quds Press that the settlers stormed the village at dawn, damaged the tyres of 20 vehicles and spray-painted racist messages on several houses and shops.

The messages, which were written in Hebrew, called for the residents of the village to leave and threatened that they would be killed.

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Al-Khatib said that this is the fifth time extremist settlers have attacked the village during the past six months, noting that these attacks aim to push the 2,000 villagers to leave. Access to Beit Iksa is only possible through one entrance which is an Israeli military checkpoint.

Local sources in Ramallah told Quds Press that a group of Israeli settlers invaded the village of Rammun on Sunday night.

The settlers caused damage to many Palestinian vehicles and spray-painted racist messages on the walls of Palestinian homes.

Quds Press said that this is the sixth attack on West Bank villages during the past two weeks.

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Price tag and hilltop extremist settler groups are known for their hate crimes against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and sometimes in Israel.

Rights groups have continually said that in most cases the members of these groups are not punished.

In response to these attacks the Palestinian factions in Ramallah announced they would establish popular units to defend the Palestinians from settler attacks.