French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited the site of the settlers' attack in the city of Al-Bireh on Thursday evening.

Minister Baro was received by the Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Laila Ghanem, the Minister of Interior, Major General Ziad Hab Al-Rih, the Director General of Civil Defense, Major General Al-Abed Ibrahim Khalil, and a delegation of residents of the area.

Last Monday morning, a number of settlers stormed the industrial area in the city of Al-Bireh and burned about 20 vehicles, which led to smoke spreading in a number of residential buildings.

Ghanem expressed her appreciation for the visit of the French Foreign Minister and France's position rejecting terrorist practices against the defenceless Palestinian people.

She stressed the seriousness of the incident and other similar attacks that have recently been escalating, especially during the olive harvest season, especially since they are carried out under the protection of the Israeli occupation army, whose soldiers open fire when citizens attempt to defend themselves.

Ghanem told the French Foreign Minister: “We appreciate your presence here today as a message of rejection of these practices, and we hope that France and the international community will stand by the Palestinian people so that they are not repeated, and until the greater Palestinian goal of ending the occupation is achieved.”

The Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh stressed that the international community must stand up for the rights of the Palestinian people and stop the genocide they are being subjected to in all locations. She added: “France is a strong country and can have an opinion in the international community, and its supportive and opposing stance against the terrorism of the colonists and the occupation army is a source of gratitude.”

A number of residents of the area provided an explanation to the French Foreign Minister, including how they were surprised by a number of settlers storming the area at dawn last Monday, and their attack, which included burning vehicles, attacking buildings, and opening fire.

They reported that a number of residents of one of the buildings around which the attack was concentrated were transferred to hospitals as a result of suffocation from the smoke rising from the burning vehicles. Among them were a heart patient and a pregnant woman, in addition to the state of panic that affected the children.

They pointed out that several families were forced to leave their homes after they became uninhabitable and in need of renovation, as they were overwhelmed by smoke and emissions from vehicles burned by the settlers, in addition to their fear of a repeat of the attack.