Settlement guards threaten farmers near Nablus

Ma'an
Guards protecting Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian farmer in the Wadi Qana area of the Salfit governorate on Friday, mayor of the nearby town of Deir Istya reported.

The guards approached a group of farmers and threatened them with bodily harm, assaulting one man Mayor Nathmi Salman said. They told farmers that settlers would be in the area between 7am and 2pm, and they could not harvest or tend crops during the visiting hours.

The settlers arrived at the Wadi Qana spring, as dozens of farmers, who had not been notified of the visit, were irrigating orange groves, Salman reported.

Wadi Qana is surrounded by five Israeli settlements and four outposts, strategically located around the spring at the base of the Qana valley.

In recent weeks, residents have reported the assault of 75-year-old Khadr Ahmad Mansour by settlers in the area, as well as the destruction of olive trees, agricultural fences and structures.... Full story