West Bank, Palestine: Six Palestinian injured by settlers south of Nablus

By Saed Bannoura

IMEMC & Agencies:

Palestinian medical sources reported on Friday evening that at least six Palestinians were injured when settlement guards of the Yitzhar settlement opened fire at Palestinian who reportedly entered a vineyard belonging to the settlement.

Ghassan Daghlas, in Charge of the Settlements File at the Palestinian Authority, stated that six masked settlers from Yitzhar settlement, south of Nablus, opened fire at Palestinians who were some 20 meters away from Orif School, adjacent to the settlement.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources reported that settlement guards claimed that they observed two Palestinians trying to infiltrate into the settlement vineyard, and opened fire at them.

Fawzi Shihada, head of the Orif village council, told the Maan News Agency that Israeli settlers and soldiers opened fire towards the village, and that the army imposed a curfew barring the residents from leaving their homes.

Shihada added that he and a number of international peace activists were surrounded by the settlers and the soldiers in one of the homes in the village.

Six Palestinians were moved to Rafidia hospital in Nablus; their injuries were described as mild to moderate.

They were identified as Saddam Abdul-Karim, Maher Ghassan, Nour Mustafa Safadi, Mahmoud Abdul-Rahim Safadi, Isam Najih Safadi, and Ibrahim Sabah.

Later on, a group calling itself Jerusalem Army issued a press release claiming responsibility for opening fire at the settlement guards.

Meanwhile, Israeli military sources reported that five settlers were lightly wounded during the clashes, one of the wounded settlers required hospitalization.

The sources added that Israeli soldiers also in invaded Orif village and clashes with dozens of youths.

Local sources in the Orif reported that the settlers attacked the village at hurled stones at its homes.

Army sources said that soldiers entered the village to stop clashes that erupted between the settlers and the residents, and fired rubber-coated bullets and teargas canisters.