505 assaults by settlers reported in the West Bank

Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Al Quds Center for Israeli-Palestinian Studies documented in a new report 505 assaults committed by Israeli soldiers and settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank during last March.

The report said that the assaults included checkpoints assaults, erecting military barriers, blocking roads and entrances to villages, demolition of buildings, land and personal money theft, and other kinds of assaults.

Israeli checkpoints have become like harassment centers, in which Palestinians are assaulted on a 24-hour basis by Israeli soldiers, the report revealed. The increase of religious adherence among Israeli soldiers caused Israelis to believe that assaulting Palestinians or even killing them would bring the killers closer to God, which explains why assaults have increased against Palestinians, the report added.

The report also said that “it is important to mention that Palestinian villages and cities have become open-air prisons. Some villages and cities have only one entrance, which makes it easy to isolate whole villages and cities”. Israeli officials also gave a free hand to extremist settlers, trying to canvass their support in the coming elections.

Over 448,000 extremist settlers live in around 250 illegal settlements throughout the occupied West Bank, in violation to the international law.