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Italy and Canada have raised concerns about the treatment of their citizens who were assaulted and robbed by Jewish settlers in the Palestinian territories under occupation.

Details of the Violent Incident

A group comprising three Italians and one Canadian were assaulted in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday in the community of Ein al-Duyuk, near Jericho. They had volunteered to help shield Palestinian residents from escalating violence by settlers.

“At 4.30am on 30 November, 10 masked settlers, two carrying army-issued rifles, burst into the home where we were sleeping after night-watch,” stated the Canadian volunteer.

All four were hospitalised and one, an male Italian volunteer, was continuing to undergo treatment in Ramallah on Monday for more substantial injuries.

Rising Tensions in Ein al-Duyuk

The frequency and severity of attacks in this area have increased substantially over the past two months. This coincides with the creation of an unauthorized settler encampment nearby and the influx of new, confrontational settlers.

Activists say that aggressive acts have become an routine event. Attacks have included groups of settlers forcibly entering houses, beating villagers, and stealing livestock and property.

Legal Status and Official Responses

While all settlements on occupied territory are illegal under international law, irregular outposts are also against Israeli domestic statutes. Ein al-Duyuk is in Area A of the West Bank, a zone meant to be administered of the Palestinian governing body.

Canada's Department of Global Affairs stated it “strongly condemns the acts of violence committed by extremist settlers and is against any measures or talk about annexation of the Palestinian territories.”

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.”

Absence of Protection and Broader Context

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 are vocal backers of settlements in the territory.

According to UN figures that settlers and Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, including 233 children, in the West Bank over the last 24 months.

Voice of the Volunteers

The Canadian volunteer noted that, notwithstanding the violence, she felt the international presence in the village had been meaningful.

“The villagers stood taller while we were present,” she said. “Kids were able to play outside. Families could sleep soundly. That alone made our presence justified.”

A local organizer working with groups that recruit foreign volunteers said the new outpost has brought in far-right wing settlers who seem to belong to an organised group.