UNHCR ‘deeply concerned’ over settler attack on Palestinians

Killing of Palestinian man comes as settler violence in occupied West Bank surges to highest levels since 2015. The UN has said it is “deeply concerned about the protracted and extremely violent attack” on Palestinians in the village of alMugheir in the occupied West Bank. Hamdi Naasan, 38-year-old father of four, succumbed to his wounds on Saturday after Israeli settlers from the nearby illegal outpost of Adei Ad shot at the Palestinian villagers. Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a statement on Tuesday, where he said a group of up to 30 Israelis - some of them armed - attacked Palestinian farmers in their fields and then descended on the village where they used live ammunition to shoot at the villagers and their houses. Six Palestinians were shot and wounded with three of them in a serious condition. It remains unclear whether any settlers were also injured. Colville noted that Israeli security forces were stationed near the village and were immediately alerted to the attack, but witnesses said that it took around two hours for them to intervene. “When Israeli security forces did finally in- tervene, the main focus of their action appears to have been to disperse the Palestinian villagers using teargas,” the statement read. Three more Palestinians were injured by live ammunition after Israeli security forces intervened. However, it was not clear whether they were shot by settlers or soldiers. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the average number of violent incidents instigated by settlers every month increased by 57 percent in 2018 compared to 2017, and by 175 percent compared to 2016. “Israel, as the occupying power, is obliged under international humanitarian law to protect the Palestinian population from such attacks. Those responsible for settler violence must be brought to account,” said Colville.