Palestine: Palestinian and Israeli peace activists attacked by military en route to Hebron protest


By Saed Bannoura
IMEMC News:

A group of Palestinian and Israeli activists traveling to the village of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, were attacked by Israeli forces while en route.

Three were injured and nine were detained by the soldiers for hours, and were unable to reach the area where they had planned to protest on Saturday.

According to Mohammad Awad, with the Palestinian Solidarity Project, the organizers of Saturday’s protest. "The soldiers beat and kicked dozens of protestors, and hit them with rifle butts.

As a result, three Israeli leftists sustained bruises and nine others were detained."Awad told the local news agency Ma’an that Israeli settlers and soldiers in the area have, over the last week, bulldozed Palestinian farmland and orchards, and Israeli soldiers continue to prevent Palestinian farmers from accessing their land.

Beit Ummar has been a flashpoint for Israeli attacks over the last several years, due to its proximity to the Israeli settlement Karmeh Tsur, and the ongoing expansion of that settlement onto the village lands of the people of Beit Ummar.