A Palestinian farmer was shot dead by Israeli settlers today while he was working on his land in the northern occupied West Bank, according to local sources.
An official who monitors settlement activity told Ma’an that Israeli settlers from the illegal Yash Kod settlement outpost raided Palestinian land near Qusra and attacked a farmer, 48 year-old Mahmoud Ahmad Zaal Odeh.
Odeh attempted to prevent the settlers from entering his land, at which point the settlers opened fire on him, shooting him in the chest. He died shortly after the attack.
Remember this? Church where Jesus is believed to have fed the 5,000 set on fire by Israeli settlers. https://t.co/dJmLyDfqJO via @MailOnline
— Susi Snowflake (@palestininianpr) November 29, 2017
Another Palestinian identified as Fayez Fathi Hasan, 47, was injured in the leg by the settlers’ fire.
Locals told Ma’an that Israeli forces detained Odeh’s son and took him to the Huwwara military base nearby, and have not yet returned Odeh’s body to his family.
Shortly after the deadly attack, Israeli forces raided and surrounded the village to protect the settlers, preventing all Palestinian movement in the area.
Israeli soldiers & settlers attacked Palestinian farmers & their trees 100 times this yr https://t.co/nitkEVv16R pic.twitter.com/QsG5VIjB0X
— Days of Palestine (@DaysofPalestine) November 22, 2017
Upwards of 600,000 Israeli settlers reside in occupied Palestinian territories in violation of international law. The international community has repeatedly called their presence the main impediment to potential peace in the region.
The UN reported in August that after a three-year decline of settler attacks on Palestinians, the first half of 2017 showed a major increase in such attacks, with 89 incidents being documented so far this year, representing an 88 percent increase compared to 2016. The attacks have led to the deaths of three Palestinians.
A 48yr-old Palestinian man has been gunned down and killed by a gang of armed Israeli settlers in Qasra today https://t.co/Szih1ufjSh
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) November 30, 2017
Palestinian activists and rights groups have long accused Israel of fostering a “culture of impunity” for Israeli settlers and soldiers committing violent acts against Palestinians.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
