Two German tourists suffered light wounds on Saturday when they were attacked by a mob in Shechem (Nablus) in northern Samaria after entering the city in an Israeli ride-sharing vehicle.
Video footage shows Palestinians stoning and kicking the vehicle, smashing the windows and physically assaulting the occupants.
תיירים שנכנסו לשכם עם רכב שיתופי של עיריית תל אביב הותקפו בידי פלסטינים באבנים@carmeldangor pic.twitter.com/xtTWIvSkza
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 18, 2023
The car had Israeli license plates, an Israeli flag sticker and the Tel Aviv Municipality logo.
The tourists eventually escaped on foot with the assistance of an Arab Israeli and were escorted back to Israel by Israeli security forces, according to Channel 12. The vehicle was left in the city.
They had entered the city to get coffee, according to the report.
German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert posted to his Twitter account on Saturday that “a mob attacking tourists because they don’t like their license plate is disgusting and cowardly. I thank the Palestinian Israeli citizen who saved them from the bottom of my heart.”
On Sunday, Seibert defended his tweet, writing that “we know the pain of Palestinians. We support their peaceful aspirations towards a state. We know the great Palestinian hospitality. But yesterday two tourists were in grave danger because they were chased by a mob, and that can never be justified.”
