Settlers injure three Palestinians in attack west of Jericho
Residents of Bedouin communities were beaten and sprayed with pepper spray during the attack, security sources told the agency.
Three Palestinians were injured on Thursday morning when Israeli settlers, backed by Israeli forces, attacked residents and their land in al-Duyuk al-Tahta, west of Jericho, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Security sources told WAFA that a group of settlers moved onto Palestinian-owned land and homes in the Bedouin communities of Ard Sateeh, in al-Duyuk al-Tahta, and attacked the residents there.
The sources said the attackers beat residents and sprayed them with pepper spray, leaving three people hurt.
Jihad Mahalees, a member of the local committee in Ein al-Duyuk, told WAFA that the settlers had grazed their sheep on land in al-Duyuk under the protection of Israeli forces before the attack on residents.
The report did not include a response from Israeli authorities.
Al-Duyuk al-Tahta lies in the Jordan Valley area west of Jericho, where Bedouin communities have long faced disputes over land, grazing and access to pasture.
Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been reported frequently in recent years, and rights groups and the United Nations have documented a rise in such incidents.
The United Nations and most of the international community consider Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.