This file photo shows Israeli settlers hurling rocks at Palestinian vehicles in an undisclosed location in the occupied West Bank. (Photo by Palestinian Information Center)

Nablus, December 20 (RHC)-- Israeli settlers have injured three Palestinians after attacking their vehicles in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.  The incident occurred in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, in the northern parts of the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestine's official Wafa news agency reported, citing Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors Israeli settlement activities in the north of the West Bank.

According to Ghassan, Israeli settlers, under the full protection of the Israeli military, began hurling stones at Palestinians’ vehicles passing in the vicinity of the evacuated illegal Homesh settlement.

The attack inflicted injuries to at least three Palestinians, he further told Wafa.  On Saturday night, Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles driving at Ein Ayyoub junction, to the west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Wafa said in a separate report, citing local sources.

Israeli settlers also attacked a Palestinian house in the village of Ramin, in the vicinity of the city of Tulkarm, it further said, adding that local residents thwarted the invading settlers and forced them out of the village.

According to Wafa, no casualties were reported among Palestinian civilians in both attacks.  Separately, scores of Israeli settlers blocked a section of road 60 east of al-Khalil (Hebron), south of the occupied West Bank, and hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles passing down the road.

Systematic attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are alarmingly in the rise in the occupied territories, particularly in northern parts of the West Bank.   

The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem says the Israeli military deliberately avoids confronting violent settlers based on a policy, practically letting them loose to attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.  “The military avoids confronting violent settlers as a matter of policy, although soldiers have the authority and duty to detain and arrest them. Israeli security forces routinely enable settler violence against Palestinians and their property,” the rights groups said last month.

“As a rule, the military prefers to remove Palestinians from their own farmland or pastureland rather than confront settlers, using various tactics such as issuing closed military zone orders that apply to Palestinians only, or firing tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated metal bullets, and even live rounds. Sometimes, soldiers actively participate in the settler attacks or look on from the sidelines,” B’Tselem added.