Several Palestinians and an Israeli settler were hurt Wednesday during clashes near the northern West Bank outpost of Homesh, in violence that erupted after European officials toured the area.
According to the Yesh Din rights group, several extremist settlers attacked Palestinians in the village of Burqa and set fire to homes. Video from Burqa showed residents trying to extinguish the blazes.
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service reported two wounded.
Meanwhile, the Samaria Regional Council and the Israeli Rescuers Without Borders emergency service said one Israeli settler was lightly hurt after stones were hurled at him by Palestinians.
It was unclear which side started the violence. Palestinians and rights groups have accused settlers from Homesh of attacking Palestinians in Burqa in the past.
There was no immediate statement from the Israel Defense Forces.
Yesh Din said the incident came after European Union diplomats visited the area around Homesh, a former outpost evacuated in 2005 after the High Court found it was built partly on private Palestinian land belonging to residents of Burqa.
Last week, the army lifted an order forbidding civilians from entering the site of the former settlement, which right-wing groups say they hope to resettle.
The Peace Now anti-settlement watchdog, which along with Yesh Din and Emek Shaveh led the tour for the diplomats, denounced the violence in Burqa as a “revenge operation” by settlers.
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