SETTLERS ATTACK PALESTINIANS IN THEIR HOME IN HEBRON

      Hebron, 5 Shafar 1435/8 Desember 2013 (MINA) – A group of Israeli settlers on Saturday attacked a Palestinian house on Shuhada street in the center of Hebron and assaulted residents and children in the street.

      Locals said that around 25 settlers attacked the house owned by Mufeed al-Sharabati, causing damage to it and assaulting its residents before Israeli forces stopped them,  Maan News Agency reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), Wednesday (8/12).

      Locals added that settlers also assaulted children who were playing in the same street.

       Hebron is a frequent site of clashes due to the presence of 500 Israeli settlers in the Old City, many of whom have illegally occupied Palestinian houses and forcibly removed the original inhabitants.

       Settlers and Israeli forces regularly target local Palestinians for harassment, and many have been forced from their homes as a result. A 1997 agreement split Hebron into areas of Palestinian and Israeli control.

       The Israeli military-controlled H2 zone includes the ancient Old City, home of the revered Ibrahimi Mosque also split into a synagogue referred to as the Tomb of the Patriarchs and the once thriving Shuhada street, now just shuttered shops fronts and closed homes.

       More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law.

       The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. (T/P012/P03)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)