Israeli sources reported Saturday that a military investigation revealed that extremist teenage settlers from the Yitzhar settlement, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, attacked last Saturday, a wounded Palestinian man, tied him up and beat him despite the fact that he was shot by a settlement guard.Najah As-Safady was injured by settler gunfire during clashes that took place near the Palestinian village of Orif, in the northern West bank district of Nablus. The clashes took place after a number of settlers burnt a Palestinian olive orchard.
Israeli Ynet News reported that As-Safady was shot after the young settlers shouted “armed Palestinian”; they then tied him up and assaulted him. According Israeli Ynet News, a search “suggested that the man had a knife”.
Israeli soldiers removed the settlers from the scene and the man was evacuated by the soldiers. An officer told the Ynet that an investigation was initiated, and that he believes the army will eventually identify the perpetrators.
One of the officers said that the incident could have ended with a murder, ‘but the soldiers intervened in time’. The officer also stated that the “open fire” policy states that live ammunition is only to be used when there is an immediate threat to someone’s life, Ynet added.
The online daily further stated that the military division commander has decided to confiscate the weapons of the so-called “Emergency Squad” in Yitzhar settlement after an incident that took a week earlier in which one of the guards shot and wounded a Palestinian.
The incident took place near Aseera Al-Qibliyya Palestinian village; the settlers also fired-rubber coated bullets that are only supposed to be issued to the army, while one of the settlers was wearing a police hat.
One of the soldiers was standing next to the settler, who took aim and shot the Palestinian; the army decided that the soldier’s action was “within reason”.
Related
B’Tselem; Video documentation: Yitzhar settlers burn crops shoot and injure a Palestinian in the presence of Israeli soldiers who fail to stop them – B’Tselem
