Multiple violent clashes between settlers and Palestinians were reported across the West Bank during the week of Sukkot, with at least one person killed during a confrontation reported on Thursday.
According to Israeli media reports, the IDF intervened in clashes in the village of Beita linked to disputes over the olive harvest on Saturday. Bursts of gunfire were reportedly heard in the area, though no injuries were reported.
Additional clashes were reported Saturday in Burin and Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus, where Palestinians said at least one person was wounded after settlers threw stones at them.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Israeli settlers shot two Palestinians in the village of Yasuf in the West Bank, killing one and wounding the other, citing Palestinian officials.
In Thursday’s incident, settlers who came from the direction of an outpost established near the village about two months ago shot Mashour Yassin, 51, during an attack on his home on the outskirts of Yasuf, village council head Jumaa Abdel Fattah said.
“The settlers have been attacking the village continuously since the outpost was established,” Fattah said.
The IDF said it was investigating the incident.
New Israel Fund director: West Bank violence 'not happening in isolation'
Shira Ben Sasson, director of the New Israel Fund, condemned the violent incidents reported during Sukkot.
“Violence is raging across the West Bank, unfolding alongside Sukkot holiday celebrations that have included Jewish settler marches, gatherings, and activities in and around Palestinian communities, often as acts of intimidation. These events are not happening in isolation,” she said.
Ben Sasson expressed solidarity with Palestinians affected by the violence and said the New Israel Fund supported grassroots organizations working “to protect human rights, stand with Palestinian communities, and confront violence and intimidation.”
“We call for the prosecution of the attackers and the killers. The Israeli government knows very well how to track down terrorists when it wants to,” Ben Sasson said.