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Italy and Canada have raised concerns about the treatment of their nationals who were beaten and robbed by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Details of the Brutal Assault

A group comprising three Italians and one Canadian were assaulted in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday in the village of Ein al-Duyuk, near the city of Jericho. They were serving to help protect the Palestinian population from escalating violence by settlers.

“At 4.30am on 30 November, a group of ten masked settlers, two carrying army-issued rifles, forced their way into the residence where we were resting after a night shift,” said the Canadian national.

All four were hospitalised and one, an male Italian volunteer, was continuing to undergo treatment in the city of Ramallah on Monday for more serious wounds.

Escalating Violence in the Village

The pace and intensity of attacks in this area have risen dramatically over the past two months. This follows the creation of an unauthorized settler encampment nearby and the arrival of young and aggressive settlers.

Activists say that violent incidents have become an routine event. These incidents have involved settler mobs forcibly entering houses, assaulting residents, and stealing livestock and property.

International Law and Government Reactions

While all settlements on occupied territory are considered unlawful by the international community, unauthorized outposts are also against Israeli domestic statutes. The village is located within Area A of the West Bank, a zone theoretically under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

The Canadian foreign ministry stated it “strongly condemns the acts of violence committed by radical settlers and is against any measures or talk about absorbing Palestinian land.”

Italy's top diplomat, Minister Tajani, told reporters: “We have had enough of this hostility. This is not the way for the settlers to assert their rights.”

Lack of Intervention and Wider Situation

Villagers and activists report there has been little effective action by security forces to stop the attacks or remove the illegal settlement. Senior figures of the Israeli governing coalition actively support settlements in the territory.

According to UN figures that Israeli settlers and security forces have taken the lives of over a thousand Palestinians, including hundreds of minors, in the West Bank over the past two years.

Perspective from the Ground

The Canadian volunteer added that, despite the attack, she felt the international presence in the village had been valuable.

“The residents felt more confident while we were present,” she said. “The children played freely. People slept through the night. Just that made our presence justified.”

A local organizer involved with groups that bring in international observers said the recent encampment has brought in ideologically driven settlers who seem to belong to an organised group.