Palestinian Farmer Injured Near Bethlehem

Friday June 01, 2012 14:16 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian medical sources reported Friday that a Palestinian farmer was injured when Israeli soldiers attacked several farmers, and fired concussion grenades at them, while working in their lands in "Roman area", east of Tiqoua in Bethlehem district.

File - Image reprinted from amin.org

Head of the Tiqoua’ Village Council, Taiseer Abu Mfarreh, told the Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA), that soldiers accompanied by employees of the so-called Civil Coordination Office, attacked the villagers and forced them out of their lands.

WAFA added that the soldiers also threatened the residents, ordering them not to return to their lands under the claim that the area is a "closed military zone".

The Roman area in Tiqoua’ has been repeatedly targeted by soldiers and settlers, with a sharp increase of attacks carried out by fundamentalist settlers over the last few days.

A source in Tekoa' settlement told the IMEMC that the incident might have taken place "after Palestinians hurled stones" at settlers vehicles, and that the attack is unlikely to be related to "price tag attacks", according the source

Previous attacks carried out by the settlers in different parts of Palestine targeted mosques, including burning and defacing mosques, attacking villages, uprooting, cutting an burning Palestinian orchards.

The settlers also defaced property of Israel's Peace Now movement, including defacing cars of peace now activists.

Earlier in February this year, the settlers carried out a “price tag” attack targeting a Christian Monastery in Jerusalem’s Valley of the Cross Monastery.

Extremist settlers use the “Price Tag” slogan to refer to “retaliatory” attacks that they usually carry out against the Palestinians whenever Israel removes an illegal settlement outpost in the occupied territories.

Extremist settlers sprayed graffiti on several occasions stating "Death to Arabs", "Death to Muslims", and "Death to Christians", in addition to slurs against the Muslim prophet.

The fundamentalist settlers, mainly youth groups, are also believed to be involved in numerous Price Tag attacks that have escalated in the last two years and including the burning of several mosques in the West Bank.

bethlehem | israeli settlement | news report saed at imemc dot org