A Palestinian man was arrested after entering a house in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar on Monday night.

The man, who is mentally disabled, was beaten up by settlers before he was handed over to military authorities for questioning.

There is no fence between the settlement and surrounding villages, and the man, from the village of Ureif, near Nablus, was arrested on a previous occasion after wandering into the settlement. He was subsequently released by the army. Last night he entered the Tkumah neighborhood in the settlement, where he was seen by one of the residents. She then summoned a neighbor who apprehended the intruder. He was transferred to the security officer of the settlement but several residents who arrived started beating the man. Soldiers who were on the scene protected him from the settlers. A search found no weapon on his body.

In a video clip shown on the “Hakol Hayehudi” (Jewish Voice) news site, which is run from the settlement, the man could be heard crying while surrounded by residents, as soldiers were transferring him into a vehicle. Yehuda Hass, a security officer in the settlement said that “a resident here saw a terrorist opening a window of her house – residents caught him and tied him up. No weapons were found. It must be that crazy terrorist who was here before. The army is now searching the area.”

On Thursday night, four girls from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar were arrested in Jerusalem on suspicion of spraying Arabs in the capital with tear gas.

In the first incident, a Palestinian taxi driver reported that he had been attacked on King George Street by four girls, who fled on foot. Shortly after, another Palestinian reported a similar attack.