Four Israeli left-wing activists hospitalized after reported attack by settlers
haaretz.com
At
least four activists from the Israeli-Palestinian anti-occupation
group Ta'ayush were attacked Saturday in the South Hebron Hills. The
activists were documenting illegal construction in
the unauthorized Jewish outpost of Mitzpe Yair.
According to the Israeli police,
settlers are suspected of the attack and an investigation is
accordingly being opened. Four activists were evacuated to Soroka
Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, suffering from bruised ribs, arms and
ankles, and have since been released from the hospital.
According to the
activists, they arrived Saturday at the Mitzpe Yair outpost in order to
photograph illegal construction there. The activists report that when
they arrived at the site, at least ten settlers attacked them and threw
them to the ground. Activist Guy Butavia said he estimated 15 people
attacked them, and that the settlers threw stones at them. Since the
area is a construction site, the activists reported that they were hurt
by iron pipes that were present on the ground.
The activists were
carrying cameras and documented the incident, but the attackers stole
their six cameras, leaving the activists with no documentation of the
incident itself. After the incident, the activists distributed photos
taken by a B'Tselem fieldworker who lives in the area and who arrived at the scene after the attack.
In the photos,
soldiers and first-aid personnel are seen evacuating the activists to
ambulances. At least one of them is seen unable to walk during the
evacuation.
MK
Michal Rozin (Meretz), a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, said Saturday that she will appeal to the defense minister
following the attack to request an "urgent and comprehensive
investigation."
Rozin said that this
is "more proof that the 'extremists on both sides' paradigm does not
exist. Violence against left-wing activists has become routine, fueled
by incessant incitement. Most of the security forces 'turn a blind eye'
and the government is silent and continues with its incitement. The
result is a violent attack on left-wing activists in the South Hebron
Hills, which joins the violent attack on three civilians in the Kiryat Haim beach, who were attacked only because they are Arabs. It is no longer a slippery slope but a dangerous reality."
Earlier this month, the organization's activists were attacked in the South Hebron hills by a reserve soldier
while escorting Palestinians to harvest olives. The soldier, who
slapped the activists and tried to hit their camera, was suspended from
operational activity following the incident.
For more than 15
years, Ta’ayush and activists from abroad have accompanied Palestinian
farmers and shepherds in the South Hebron Hills when they go out to farm
or herd their flocks, especially on Saturdays because of harassment and
violence by settlers.
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