By Abdel Raouf Arnaout</p> <p><br></p> <p>JERUSALEM (AA) – Jewish settlers on Thursday evening attacked the Palestinian driver of an Israeli transport bus in Jerusalem, leaving him seriously injured, according to Israeli media reports and a video of the incident shared on social-media platforms.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The video shows Nidal al-Faqih, a Palestinian bus driver from the Shuafat refugee camp north of Jerusalem, being severely beaten by Jewish settlers in the Kiryat Sefer settlement near the West Bank city of Ramallah.</p> <p><br></p> <p>It was not possible for Anadolu Agency to reach the Palestinian driver for comment. Nor have the Israeli police issued a statement on the incident.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Israel’s Broadcasting Authority, however, reported that two Israelis had attacked the driver on Thursday, leaving the latter in “serious” condition, for which he has since received medical treatment.</p> <p><br></p> <p>In response to the incident, dozens of Palestinian drivers staged a protest near the Modiin Illit settlement near Ramallah on Friday to demand protection from attacks by settlers.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The incident comes amid a recent uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence across the occupied West Bank, which saw two Israeli soldiers killed near Ramallah on Thursday.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Over the course of the last 48 hours, four Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli forces for their alleged involvement in the violence.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The Israeli military, meanwhile, has designated Ramallah a “closed military area”, preventing anyone from entering or exiting the city.
