A far right “Jewish settler” sporting a ski mask attacked the head of a Jewish human rights organisation on Friday, the incident caught on video and posted to YouTube.
During the struggle, which occurred close to a Jewish settlement on the West Bank, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, part of a group called Rabbis for Human Rights, was assailed with a knife, his attacker jabbing the blade at his head and body as he tried to flee.
Ascherman, along with international activists, was in the area to aid local Palestinian farmers with their privately owned olive harvest and stop Jewish settlers from the routine destruction of the olive groves.
The rabbi told local news outlets he had spotted a fire set by the settlers designed to destroy the Palestinian olive trees. After he attempted to douse the flames, the masked man attacked him. Ascherman said he was not badly injured.
According to +972, the incident occurred near the illegal Israeli outpost of Gideonim.
The group Rabbis for Human Rights is dedicated to protecting Palestinian farmers from settler attacks. Its website explains: “Our presence in the groves with the farmers helps keep them safe, as extremists are far less likely to cause problems when they know Israelis and internationals are present.”