Palestinians attacked a car carrying two German tourists with stones in the West Bank city of Nablus. As Israeli media reported on Saturday, the two were traveling in a car-sharing car with an Israeli license plate.
A military spokeswoman said they were slightly injured and received medical care from Israeli soldiers after the incident. Subsequently, they were handed over to the police. The German embassy has knowledge of the process and is in contact with those affected, a spokesman told the German Press Agency in the evening.
Steffen Seibert condemns the incident
A video shared on social media showed around two dozen men and teenagers throwing stones at a car on a busy road and initially forcibly preventing it from continuing in stalled traffic. Other footage showed that the car had the logo of the city of Tel Aviv and a sticker with an Israeli flag.
The German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, condemned the incident in the evening: "A mob that attacks tourists because it does not like their license plate is disgusting and cowardly." He thanked the Palestinian-Israeli citizen who saved them "from the bottom of my heart." According to media reports, the man is said to have helped the two tourists leave the city.
Nablus is one of the Palestinian territories. Israelis are generally prohibited from entering the country. Foreign tourists can visit the city. However, the Federal Foreign Office "strongly advises" against travelling to the region around Nablus. The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been particularly tense for months. During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins next week, further violence is feared.