Hundreds March in West Bank to Demand Water for Palestinian Village After Settler Attack

Some 400 Israelis and Palestinians marched in the West Bank on Saturday to demand running water for the village of Khirbet al-Mufkara, the site of a violent attack by masked settlers earlier this week.

Accompanied by two members of Knesset, the Joint List's Ofer Cassif and Meretz's Mossi Raz, activists marched from al-Tuwani to Khirbet al-Mufkara, days after settlers threw stones at village residents, wounding 12, including a 3-year-old boy.

Unlike Khirbet al-Mufkara, the nearby unauthorized settler outpost of Avigayil is hooked up the water system. The 11 families living in the village are also not connected to the electrical grid.

Two weeks ago, activists with water tanks marching to the village were met with soldiers using stun grenades. The deputy battalion commander, who was filmed assaulting activists, was reprimanded.

Saturday's march ended without violence, and participants said soldiers stood at a distance and did not approach.

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Four Israelis suspected of taking part in the attack on the village in the South Hebron Hills were released by court order on Friday, while the detention of a juvenile suspected of assaulting an Israeli soldier in the clash was extended until Sunday. Two Israeli juveniles remain in detention, and an adult is under house arrest, also on suspicion of attacking a soldier.