Middle East: West Bank: Palestinians attack German tourists

Palestinians attacked a car carrying two German tourists with stones in the West Bank city of Nablus. As reported by Israeli media, the two were traveling in a car sharing car with Israeli license plates. A military spokeswoman said they were slightly injured and received medical attention from Israeli soldiers after the incident. They were then handed over to the police. The German Embassy is aware of the process and is in contact with those affected, a spokesman said in the evening of the German Press Agency.

A video shared on social media showed how around two dozen men and young people threw stones at a car on a busy road and initially violently prevented it from continuing in the slow-moving traffic. Additional footage showed that the car had the Tel Aviv city logo and an Israeli flag sticker on it.

The German ambassador in Israel, Steffen Seibert, condemned the incident in the evening: “A mob that attacks tourists because they don’t like their license plate is disgusting and cowardly”. He thanked the Palestinian-Israeli citizen who rescued her “from the bottom of my heart”. According to media reports, the man is said to have helped the two tourists leave the city.

Nablus is one of the autonomous Palestinian territories. Israelis are strictly forbidden to enter the country. Foreign tourists can visit the city. However, the Foreign Office “strongly advises against” traveling to the region around Nablus. The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been particularly tense for months. Further violence is feared during the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, which begins next week.