“They stole my passport, my phone, my wallet, my bank cards, and then they left,” one of the alleged victims said while describing the beating.
Four foreign nationals were hospitalized after reportedly being attacked by a group ofextremist settlers on Saturday night, according to government officials and the alleged victims of the attack.
The foreign nationals, three of whom were Italian and the fourth a Canadian national, were treated at a hospital in Jericho on Sunday, one of the apparent victims told Agence France-Presse.
“Three Italian international volunteers were attacked last night by Israeli settlers,” Italy’s Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement, while adding the group was “still in shock from the incident.”
The four wounded foreign nationals were “activists,” according to Palestinian Authority-run WAFA.
A picture taken with a drone shows Aqabat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho, in the West Bank, January 18, 2021. (credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)
“Four foreigners arrived at the hospital this morning after being beaten by settlers, according to what they reported,” Riyad Eid, director of the Jericho government hospital, told AFP. “They were suffering from bruises on the face for some of them, and on the chest, and one of them was beaten in a sensitive area.
“They were examined, given X-rays and ultrasound scans, provided with the necessary treatment, and then discharged.”
One of the anonymous activists told AFP that 10 settlers attacked them while they were sleeping in the Duyuk area.
Two of the 10 settlers were armed with guns, while the others held sticks, he said.
“They kicked me multiple times in the face, in the ribs, in the hip,” he said. “It lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. And then they took all of our things. They stole my passport, my phone, my wallet, my bank cards, and then they left.
“We had to have X-rays, painkillers. Our friend was beaten more severely than we were.”
Qatari-run Al Jazeera released footage of the activist’s injuries, with apparent bruising and cuts to their faces.
Officials condemn attack by West Bank settlers on foreign nationals
“They are injured but not seriously; they are returning to Ramallah and should be reached this afternoon,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told local media on Sunday afternoon.
“That said, we cannot help but reiterate our condemnation of what is happening: just the other day, we issued a joint statement from Italy, France, Germany, and Great Britain condemning what the settlers are doing in the West Bank.”
Tajani added to La Repubblica that “no idea of annexation must be allowed. We are absolutely against it: the Palestinian civilian population must be respected. It is extremely serious that Christian villages are being attacked, not because Christians have more rights than other Palestinians, but because they represent an element of stability and moderation throughout the Middle East.
“We also appeal to the Israeli government to stop the settlers and prevent the continuation of this violence, which serves no purpose in achieving the peace plan we are all working towards,” he added. “We must move from the first to the second phase, and initiatives like this certainly do not help to calm people’s spirits.”
Germany, Italy, France, and Britain called on Israel to abide by international law and protect Palestinians in the territories in a joint statement on Thursday.
“We – France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom – strongly condemn the massive increase of settler violence against Palestinian civilians and call for stability in the West Bank,” said the foreign ministers of those countries in the statement.
One of the four activists has been placed on bed rest for three days, while the others were discharged from the hospital, La Repubblica reported.
