Israeli settlers wielding sticks beat Palestinian shepherds in West Bank

Israeli settlers violently assaulted two Palestinians in the centre of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, witnesses said.

The incident reportedly took place in Al-Mughayyir, a village in Ramallah and Al-Bireh province.

Settlers wielding sticks beat Palestinian shepherds looking after their animals, official Palestinian news agency Wafa cited witnesses as saying.

Two shepherds were bruised in the episode.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967 and maintains a network of settlements in these territories in breach of international law.

The settlements are populated by over 700,000 Jewish settlers and are considered a key barrier to a workable two-state solution as they carve up Palestinian land.

Violence against Palestinians is common, both from settlers and the Israeli forces who ensure their continued presence through a system of military control.

Last month, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Israeli forces had killed 172 Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel so far this year – more than the total number killed in 2022.

Last year was already the deadliest in the West Bank since 2005, OCHA added.

Rights groups have described Israel's treatment of Palestinians as apartheid.