RAMALLAH (Palestine), Aug 6 (NNN-XINHUA) — A group of diplomats from European countries paid a visit on Thursday to the West Bank village Beita as conflicts and violence between local Palestinians and Israeli forces continued to increase in the area.
“The European Union (EU) and like-minded countries visited Beita village in response to rising levels of settlers’ violence and the building of an illegal Israeli outpost on top of Mount Sabih, resulting in regular clashes and casualties,” said an official statement.
The delegation includes representatives from the EU, as well as such countries as Germany, Italy, France and Spain, the statement said, adding that the diplomats held talks with local residents about the region’s development during the trip.
The Israeli outpost near Beita, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, has caused regular clashes between the Palestinians, Israeli settlers and Israeli soldiers, leaving at least six Palestinians dead and hundreds of others wounded by Israeli forces’ attacks since May.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the total number of Israeli settlers’ attacks across the West Bank in 2021 has increased by 46 percent compared to the same period in 2020.