Last update - 00:00 01/02/2007
Prosecutor: Troops must step in if Hebron settlers disturb peace
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel Defense Forces soldier stationed in Hebron are permitted, and even obligated, to intervene in incidents when settlers disturb the peace and attack Palestinians, Deputy State Prosector Shai Nitzan said on Thursay.
In a letter to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Nitzan wrote that soldiers are obligated to follow up on settlers who attack Palestinians, up to the point of turning them into area police or Border Police officers.
Nitzan's statement, which was based on instruction given to military sources in the West Bank, contradicts a claim made a few weeks ago by Defense Minister Amir Peretz, according to which soldiers are not permitted to intervene in cases of settlers disturbing the peace.
"Despite the instructions," wrote Nitzan, "when violence against a person or property is recognized, it is up to the soldiers in the field to stop the attack and call the police or Border Police, while holding the suspects. In deliberations held at my office, I clarified again the need to hold the suspects until the arrival of the police."
Earlier this month, a video was widely broadcast showing a female settler swearing and attacking an Arab family in Hebron's Tel Rumeida neighborhood. Palestinian residents said attacks by this woman and other settlers have been going on for a long time.
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