Leftists say violently attacked by settlers
by Ali Waked, 27 April 2007
Photo: Dalit Shaham
Two Israeli left-wing activists claim to have been beaten by settlers from the Pnei Hever settlement Friday morning.
“One of the settlers saw me filming him and tried to grab my camera” Vivi Zuri, one of the two attacked, told Ynet. “He beat me with a club, and I lay on the ground to prevent him from taking my camera. Still, he kept kicking me.”
Rabbi Arik Asherman and two more left-wing activists arrived this morning, along with a group of international activists, to fields surrounding the village of Bnei Na’im, to help residents with their plowing and protect them from potential assault by settlers.
They were attacked by a group of settlers upon arriving at the village fields.
Zuri told Ynet she was attacked after one of the settlers noticed she was filming them. According to her, the beating did not stop even after she lay down on the ground. She was severely beaten and suffered contusions to the face and shoulders.
Rabbi Asherman, said Zuri, was also badly beaten by the settlers.
“They hit him horribly and threatened to harm his family”, she said. Police arrived after 40 minutes or so, she added, and asked them to arrive at the Hebron police station to give their statements.
Both Palestinians and international activists present at the scene confirmed the incident.