West Bank settlers march, hurl rocks at Palestinian village to avenge arrests

West Bank settlers hurl rocks at Palestinian home

JERUSALEM — Ultranationalist Israeli settlers in the West Bank say they have attacked a Palestinian village to avenge a series of arrests by Israeli police.

Settler spokesman Avraham Binyamin says residents of Yitzhar settlement marched through the neighboring Palestinian village of Hawara in a show of anger over what he called a police crusade against the settlers.

Villagers say the settlers on Thursday surrounded a Palestinian home in Hawara and hurled rocks through windows. People inside called for help through a loudspeaker, and the settlers fled as Palestinians converged on the area.

The incident occurred hours after Israeli police arrested seven Yitzhar residents for alleged involvement in unspecified “disturbances.”

Yitzhar is known as one of the West Bank’s most radical settlements.