US diplomats attacked by Israelis

Occupied Jerusalem: Jewish colonists pelted a US diplomatic convoy with stones Friday as envoys tried to visit the West Bank to investigate a complaint by Palestinian farmers over vandalism of olive trees, officials said.

A State Department spokesman in Washington said US authorities were “deeply concerned” about the incident but said no one was hurt and the American security team had not drawn their weapons.

“We can confirm a vehicle from the Consulate General was pelted with stones and confronted by a group of armed colonists today in the West Bank, near the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya,” he said.

“Our personnel were in the area looking into reports that [colonists] had uprooted some 5,000 olive tree saplings in that area in recent days,” he said, adding that the visit had been cancelled after the attack.

“The Israeli authorities have also communicated to us that they acknowledge the seriousness of the incident and are looking to apprehend and take appropriate action against those responsible.”

An Israeli police spokeswoman confirmed the incident.

“According to initial findings, colonists threw stones at the US consular vehicles near the Adei Ad illegal [colony], close to the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya,” she said.

She said the US diplomats’ mission had not been coordinated with Israeli security forces, and had been to assess “damage caused by acts of vandalism in an olive orchard of Turmus Ayya”.

Palestinians in the area have complained that colonists uprooted saplings planted on land recovered after a years-long legal battle.

A senior Palestinian official, Ziad Abu Ein, was killed in the same area on December 10 in clashes with the Israeli army during a protest against colony building and land confiscation.