TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Dozens of masked men armed with sticks attacked a plant nursery and injured a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, according to witnesses and video footage.
West Bank Nursery Attack Leaves Man Injured
Video from security cameras shows men dressed in black, with their faces covered, hitting and kicking a man on the ground. Two witnesses, members of the family that owns the nursery, identified the victim as 67-year-old Basim Saleh Yassin.
Yassin is currently hospitalized with broken bones in his hand and other injuries to his face, chest, and back. During the attack, four cars at the nursery were burned and destroyed.
The attack is part of a recent increase in settler violence in the West Bank, particularly during the olive harvest season in October and November. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the perpetrators as “a handful of extremists” and called for law enforcement to take action.
However, rights groups and Palestinians argue the issue is more widespread and that attacks are becoming increasingly common.
Israeli authorities stated they dispatched soldiers to the Shavei Shomron junction, near the attack site, after receiving reports of vandalism. Three suspects were apprehended and transferred to police for questioning. Security forces condemned the violence.
The German-Palestinian run nursery had been attacked twice previously in the past year, with the most recent incident in September causing over $600,000 in damages.
According to a family member, Yassin was unable to hear warnings to flee because he is deaf. The video footage shows Yassin running from the group before falling, and then being repeatedly struck while on the ground, including a kick to the head.
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