Settlers plant dozens of Israeli flags at entrance of Palestinian cafe in West Bank village

Mixed · 2Israeli settlers planted dozens of Israeli flags at the entrance of a streetside Palestinian cafe in Luban al-Sharqiya, in the occupied West Bank, obscuring it from one side. 1 2 Right · 1The cafe's owner, Mueiyyid Hussein, found the flags when he went to open on Thursday morning, packed together against the entrance and blocking the view of the shop from southbound travellers. 1 Mixed · 2Hussein, who owns the Luban al-Sharqiya Coffee Shop and Rest Area, described the act as blatant intimidation and said: "They are not leaving us alone. They have blocked the view of my shop." 1 2

Right · 1While Reuters was interviewing Hussein, a settler he said was responsible for the flags drove past and filmed him and the shop on a cellphone; Reuters could not reach the man for comment. 1 Right · 1Hussein said the man drives away and returns to check whether any flags have been removed, and that he says he will come back and shut the shop down. 1 Mixed · 2The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the flags. 1 2

Mixed · 2The cafe sits on the West Bank's main north-south road, used by Palestinians and by the roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the territory. In recent years, some settlers have run a campaign of violence and intimidation to push Palestinians off their land, and have planted flags along the road and at village entrances or near Palestinian landmarks. 1 2 Right · 1UN bodies and most countries consider Israeli settlements and outposts illegal under international law on military occupation, a view Israel rejects, describing the territory as disputed rather than occupied. 1 Mixed · 2The West Bank has seen a sharp rise in settler violence and land seizures. The Israeli military says it does what it can to curb the violence, which Palestinians reject, pointing to many cases where troops stood by during attacks. 1 2