Israeli settlers attack Palestinian parliamentarian Mustafa Barghouthi; army blocks Palestinian farmers from their fields, destroys irrigation network

Ma'an -- A Palestinian lawmaker said he was attacked by settlers as he accompanied farmers trying to access their land near Hebron on Saturday.

Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouthi said after the attack, Israeli soldiers used force to prevent the group accessing farmland in Al-Buwiera and Al-Baq’a villages.

An Israeli military spokesman said Barghouthi was in a closed military zone when soldiers asked him to leave, but denied reports that force was used.

Barghouthi held Israeli authorities fully responsible for the farmers’ lands, which are at risk of drought since Israel’s Civil Administration destroyed what it described as an illegal water irrigation network in Al-Baq’a on Monday.

The parliamentarian noted that settlers from an illegal outpost near the Kiryat Arba settlement had rebuilt homes demolished by the army last week.