Israeli settler attacks an elderly Palestinian man, pepper-spraying him in the face

OCCUPIED AL-QUDS, (ST)_ Some 158 Israeli settlers stormed today al-Aqsa Mosque and carried our provocative tours under the protection of occupation forces, according to the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA)

The agency added that Israeli police, who were providing protection to a group of settlers who forced their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque, detained a Palestinian from the mosque compound.

Moreover, an Israeli settler attacked an elderly Palestinian man in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, pepper-spraying him in the face, said witnesses.

They said that a settler approached Mohammad Daoud Abbasi and pepper-sprayed him in the face, causing him to suffer from a burning sensation and temporary blindness.

Abbasi, along with his sons, were attempting to protect their land in Wadi al-Rababeh area in Silwan from being taken over by the settler when the attack took place today.

The Israeli occupation authorities  are trying to spread their hegemony over the privately-owned Palestinian land in Wadi al-Rababeh area, which is planted with olive trees, and turn it into some sort of park.

In the West Bank, the Israeli occupation forces detained 11 Palestinians.

According to Palestinian figures, roughly 5,700 Palestinians — including numerous women and children — are currently languishing in Israeli detention facilities.

In Bethlehem, the Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian-owned house in al-Khader town.

“A large army forces escorted a bulldozer into town, where the heavy machinery demolished a two-room house belonging to Samir Salah,” WAFA said.

Israel demolishes Palestinian houses and structures almost on a daily basis as a means to achieve “demographic control” of the occupied territories.

Basma Qaddour