A Palestinian man medicates a Palestinian woman after several Palestinian farmers clash with Israeli settlers in the West Bank city of Nablus, October 27, 2009. [Xinhua]

At least eight Palestinians were injured Tuesday when Israeli settlers attacked villagers harvesting olives near the West Bank city of Nablus, witnesses said.

The injured sustained slight to moderate wounds after dozens of settlers attacked the farmers at Qariout village in southern Nablus, close to the Israeli settlement of Shavout Rachel.

Israeli soldiers who accompanied the settlers did not try hard to stop them from hurling stones at the Palestinian farmers, the witnesses said, adding that the soldiers used stun grenades to disperse the villagers who threw rocks at the settlers in return.

Abdel Nasser Qariouti, the village's council chief, said that the farmers continued collecting their olives after arranging with the Israeli side in order to prevent such attacks.

Similar clashes have been common these days in the West Bank where many families are harvesting their olives from their orchards located near the Jewish settlement in the occupied territory.

Israeli soldiers walks next to Palestinian farmers after several Palestinian farmers clash with Israeli settlers in the West Bank city of Nablus, October 27, 2009. [Xinhua]