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News :: Israel / Palestine |
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Rise in settler attacks against Palestinians |
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by haaretz via gehrig
Email: zemblan (nospam) earthlink.net (verified) |
09 Jun 2004
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"Since January 2004, there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of police files opened against settlers following attacks on Palestinians. Most of the cases involve theft of equipment, destruction of property and physical attacks on innocent Palestinian passersby." |
15% rise in settler attacks against Palestinians since Jan.
By Jonathan Lis and Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
The past few months have seen a significant increase in the number of attacks carried out by settlers against Palestinians, particularly in the northern West Bank and Hebron areas, according to data released Wednesday by Samaria and Judea region police.
Since January 2004, there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of police files opened against settlers following attacks on Palestinians. Most of the cases involve theft of equipment, destruction of property and physical attacks on innocent Palestinian passersby.
Nearly every weekend for the past number of weeks, Palestinians have filed complaints with police after settlers attacked them.
Last weekend, for example, five residents of the Havat Maon settlement showed up at the Palestinian village of Amatin. The settlers fired their weapons in the air, vandalized a warehouse belonging to a village resident and beat one of the man's sheep to death with rocks. Police arrested one of the suspects at Havat Maon.
In another incident that took place on the same day near the Hazon David outpost at the entrance to Hebron, five Jewish girls attacked and beat a Palestinian woman in her 30s who happened to be walking past. The woman was lightly wounded and was evacuated to a Hebron hospital but refused to file a complaint with police against her assailants.
Five settlers arrested after attacking Palestinian
Violent clashes broke out Wednesday afternoon between settlers from Yitzhar and police after officers arrived at the West Bank settlement to investigate a complaint filed by a local Palestinian shepherd that his sheep were stolen.
The police found the Palestinian's sheep in a pen next to Yitzhar, Israel Radio reported. When the officers attempted to return the sheep to their Palestinian owner, five settlers arrived and proceeded to attack the Palestinian.
The settlers resisted arrest and fled into the settlement, locking its front gate. Police called for backup and were reinforced by officers from the Yasam special patrol unit who were able to enter the settlement, overpower and arrest the five settlers.
Settlers claimed a police vehicle ran over one man during the incident, wounding him in the leg.
Police said the individual attempted to block the path of the vehicle and was very lightly injured.
Palestinians: 3 hurt at West Bank protest
Three Palestinians were injured Wednesday during a demonstration against the West Bank separation fence in the village of al-Zawiya, in the northern West Bank, Palestinian sources told Army Radio. Hundreds of villagers clashed with troops during the demonstration.
That section of the fence is intended to separate the West Bank settlement of Ariel from nearby Palestinian villages, including al-Zawiya, southwest of Nablus.
The IDF said it had not used rubber bullets, according to the report.
Meanwhile, a 39-year-old man from the West Bank city of Jenin died of a heart attack Wednesday after IDF troops searched a neighbor`s home, Palestinians said.
(c) 2004, Haaretz
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