Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Sunday, March 19, 2023

Palestinians attacked German tourists thinking they were IDF soldiers, says PA

By AFP 19 March 2023, 6:30 pm 0 Edit

Palestinian police stand next to an Israeli ride-sharing car driven by German tourists that was attacked by Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, March 18, 2023. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

Palestinians who attacked German tourists in Nablus yesterday had feared they were Israeli forces, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority security services says.

The two tourists drove yesterday through central Nablus when they came under attack.

“A group of young men… hurled stones at a civilian car with Israeli license plates,” a local Palestinian security official says on condition of anonymity.

Talal Dweikat, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, tells AFP that “we clearly have zero hostility towards a country whose citizens visit our cities.”

According to Dweikat, those involved were “wary” of a “foreign” car, fearing it may have been used by undercover Israeli forces.