Hundreds of settlers attack Palestinian cars in Nablus

[ 24/04/2011 - 10:23 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)-- Hundreds of Jewish settlers attacked Sunday the cars of Palestinians south and east of the West Bank city of Nablus.

The aggression came just hours after a Jewish settler was killed and four others injured, one of them critically, during a shooting by a Palestinian policeman near Yousuf's Tomb in the city.

Angry settlers blocked the roads entering the city of Nablus and hurled stones at cars driven by Palestinians, witnesses reported. Several car windows were broken.

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) closed the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus following the settler attacks.

Settlers gathered at the intersection of the Burin village and at the Beit Fourik checkpoint near Nablus and attacked Palestinians, witnesses added.

A Palestinian man and his son aged 11 were injured after Jewish settlers struck their vehicle with rocks near the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus. They were transported to hospital.

The same day, following the Nablus shooting, Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari made calls to the Israeli government to regain control of Yousuf's Tomb, where the incident took place. He urged for an immediate establishment of a Yeshiva there.

Rep. Tzipi Hutobli said the deadly shooting proves that freedom of safe access to the tomb cannot be guaranteed without Israeli control of the site. She said she sees no reason why the Tomb should be less important to Israelis than the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the IOF has tightened measures at permanent and random checkpoints in the northern and central West Bank, causing traffic jams and obstructing movement.

Witnesses said soldiers have been stopping and searching cars and checking the identification of their passengers without report of arrest.

Security has been tightened on the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus because of the movement of Jewish settlers into the area after the shooting Sunday morning.

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