A US delegation, headed by the US Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs, Hady Amr, visited the town of Hawara, south of Nablus, two days after the largest attack by settlers on the town, during which they set fire to homes, cars and shops.
On Sunday night, settlers carried out around 300 attacks in Hawara, which led to the killing of Sameh Aktash 37, and the injury of more than 350 people. Dozens of houses and vehicles were burned and destroyed.
Amr expressed his deepest condolences and condemned the random, widespread and unacceptable acts of violence by settlers.
He stressed the need to see full accountability and prosecution through the law of those responsible for these “heinous” attacks and compensation for those who lost their property or were otherwise harmed.
“I am deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in the West Bank,” he added.
The US official visited a number of houses and facilities that were burned, and listened to the accounts of witnesses about the attacks carried out by settlers under the protection of the army.
After the visit, the United States Office for Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem re-published, via Twitter, Amr's statement, in which he said: “We want to see full accountability and legal prosecution of those responsible for these heinous attacks and compensation for those who lost property or were otherwise affected.”
Amr’s visit, which lasted about an hour, came after the US administration announced that it expected Israel to prosecute those involved in the bloody settler attack in Hawara, and to provide compensation to the Palestinians whose homes and properties were destroyed.
“We expect the Israeli government to ensure full accountability and legal prosecution of those responsible for these attacks, in addition to compensation for the lost homes and property,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price told a press briefing.
The Israeli authorities arrested eight suspects following the attack on Sunday, but later released six of them. Price expressed Washington’s appreciation for the statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, which called on the Israelis to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
The attack came few days after the deputy head of the settlement council in Samaria, David Ben Zion, wrote on Twitter that the village of Hawara must be erased.
