Acid attack on Israeli family in the West Bank amid unrest

A Palestinian man is believed to have carried out the attack in the illegal settlement

A Palestinian protester throws a stone at Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank town of Abu Dis near Jerusalem

An Israeli family in the West Bank have been attacked by a man pretending to be hitchhiker.

The Israeli military said the man, believed to be Palestinian, threw acid at them family while they were in their car.

They suffered light injuries, Israeli police said.

The man was shot by a passer-by as he fled and was arrested. He is being treated in hospital.

The family, who are Jewish, consisted of a man, a woman, and four young girls.

The military said the family were sitting inside a car in the Gisj Etzopm settlement bloc south of Jerusalem, when the man threw acid at them.

According to the Israeli military’s account of events, the Palestinian tried to attack the father with a screwdriver and then fled.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including Gisj Etzopm, to be illegal.

Acid attacks are quite rare in the Palestinian territories; in 2001, a young Israeli woman was seriously injured by a Palestinian who threw acid at her in Jerusalem.

The latest attack came amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, the day after Ziad Abu Ain, a member of the Palestinian cabinet, died after clashes with Israeli troops.

There have been small clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank today over the issue of Israeli settlements.