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Last update - 10:59 09/07/2008
Too easy on settler crime
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: settlers, Palestinian, Hebron

In the early days of Israeli occupation in the territories, Jewish settler leaders promised a life of "coexistence" with the Palestinian population, and they even employed Palestinian laborers in construction and service jobs.

In recent years, as radical elements in the settlements and outposts have proliferated and become more powerful, the coexistence approach often seems to make way for a violent struggle that aims to deprive the Palestinians of their land.

Jews who presume to be upholding the duty of settling the land openly discuss their intention of making the lives of Arab residents a misery and pushing them out of what they call Judea and Samaria.
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In the last four weeks, the media have reported a series of grave incidents, most of them in the Hebron Hills area.

Four Palestinians from the village of Khirbet Sussia were beaten by masked settlers while herding their sheep. One of them, a 57-year-old woman, was hospitalized. The Be'er Sheva Magistrate's Court released two suspects in the assault to house arrest.

Last week Palestinian police sources reported that two improvised mortar shells, bearing the legends "Sharon 1" and "Sharon 2," were fired from the settlement of Bracha to the village of Burin, near Nablus.

Last weekend a Palestinian from the village of Samua in the southern Hebron Hills complained that he had been beaten by a group of settlers from Asael. Police who found the man tied to a post in the settlement took him to the hospital for treatment and arrested one of the settlers.

Most offenses against Palestinians are not reported at all because in many cases the victims do not bother to call the police or file a complaint against the attackers.

This is in part because cases are usually closed, for various reasons; even those that are heard by a court usually end in acquittal or a light sentence.

Commander Avshalom Peled, the chief of police in Hebron - a center of anti-Palestinian violence - recently expressed the attitude of the Judea and Samaria District Police toward Jewish crime.

This high-ranking officer said that "the settlers are etched in the public consciousness as those who create disturbances, but the majority of the settler public is quiet and only a minority among them disturbs the peace."

By contrast, Peled described the human rights organizations that try to protect the Palestinians as belonging to the "militant left" and said their activities "might be grave and dangerous."

As long as there is no political agreement on the fate of the occupied territories, the State of Israel is responsible for the welfare of the Palestinian population there. Just as the Defense Ministry allocates forces and funds to protect the settlers, including trespassers and illegal builders, the Public Security Ministry must give the police the resources they need to protect law-abiding Palestinian citizens. The law-enforcement agencies, including the prosecution and the courts, must treat Jewish criminal behavior as severely as they do Palestinian crimes.

One cannot expect the Palestinian Authority to deal harshly with those who attack Jews when Jewish violence against Palestinians is tolerated.
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  1.   Institutional terrorism - or- Reap what you sow 11:17  |  Natallie Durson 09/07/08
  2.   Jews should protect Palestinians 11:18  |  Shimon Cleopas 09/07/08
  3.   Nothing more needs to be said on the Issue 11:24  |  Awake 09/07/08
  4.   Let the PA police deal with settlers. 11:26  |  Michael 09/07/08
  5.   PALESTINIANS DON`T NEED ISRAEL PROTECTION 11:47  |  indrajaya 09/07/08
  6.   DURSON reap what you sow indeed.The 3 NO`s of Khartoum 12:01  |  PETER SM 09/07/08
  7.   MICHAEL PA police do moonlight for terrorist organisations 12:24  |  PETER SM 09/07/08
  8.   Peter Sm know your lies 12:46  |  Truth 09/07/08
  9.   Durson & Indraya: OUR "freedom fighters" 12:48  |  GottaBeKiddingMe 09/07/08
  10.   PETER SM - You have lost me 13:04  |  Natallie Durson 09/07/08
  11.   Laws east and west of the green line 13:08  |  T 09/07/08
  12.   #1 Solve the problem ? 13:12  |  Jamie 09/07/08
  13.   To # 5 Indrajaya 13:38  |  Michael J 09/07/08
  14.   Hurry, hurry, Haaretz to rescue... 13:43  |  Buzaglow 09/07/08
  15.   Like the fox guarding the chickens 13:46  |  Joe 09/07/08
  16.   PSM All attacks on civilians, schools, orphans must stop 14:03  |  Michael 09/07/08
  17.   Historically speaking: Israeli promises are insignificant! 14:04  |  Sharif Hafez 09/07/08
  18.   Editorial Say Israel Responsible For Jihad Welfare 14:07  |  Joseph.E 09/07/08
  19.   reap what you sow 14:07  |  judith 09/07/08
  20.   Jamie, #11 re the settlers 14:10  |  judith 09/07/08
  21.   #10 Let me help you out, T 14:18  |  Johnboy 09/07/08
  22.   NDURSON the settlements followed the "3 NOs" rejection of peace 14:24  |  PETER SM 09/07/08
  23.   Wrong Haaretz - Pals are on their own 14:25  |  Slappy 09/07/08
  24.   #6 I do hate to tell you, PETER SM... 14:28  |  Johnboy 09/07/08
  25.   #16 Well said, Michael 14:30  |  Johnboy 09/07/08
  26.   Truth #8 14:36  |  Free Gilad Shalit 09/07/08
  27.   TRUTH there have been Jews in Palestine continuously for millenia 14:42  |  PETER SM 09/07/08
  28.   Pals want to get rid of Jews so Jews want to get rid of Pals 14:43  |  Sam 09/07/08
  29.   Coexistence? 14:44  |  abdul 09/07/08
  30.   JOHNBOY "all Arabs look the same".Pals say they are part &parcel 15:02  |  PETER SM 09/07/08
  31.   Next stop, Rabin 15:12  |  W 09/07/08
  32.   SETTLERS ARE AS CONTROLLABLE AS ISLAMIC JIHAD. ENJOY. 15:17  |  Freethinker 09/07/08
  33.   Have "Haaretz" editors filled the correct income tax returns? 15:19  |  Absolute Sweden 09/07/08
  34.   End the occupation 15:20  |  Ahmed 09/07/08
  35.   That Jewish civilians are finally starting to defend themselves 15:24  |  Freethinker 09/07/08
  36.   The solution must begin with... 15:36  |  Esther 09/07/08
  37.   Natalie Durson 15:48  |  Steve 09/07/08
  38.   Ahmad 15:54  |  x-ray 09/07/08
  39.   Protection. 15:55  |  David Nigel Braham 09/07/08
  40.   Judith #19- what a ridiculous logic.. 15:56  |  kameel 09/07/08
  41.   #30 That doesn`t cut it, PETER SM 15:59  |  Johnboy 09/07/08
  42.   #32 Freethinker decides to be flippant 16:05  |  Johnboy 09/07/08
  43.   Jews are better than this! 16:05  |  utagawa 09/07/08
  44.   LEFTISTS: PROTECT TERRORISTS FROM JUSTICE, HELP MURDER JEWS!!! 16:13  |  Noam Miller 09/07/08
  45.   Haaretz says the cart pushes the horse 16:14  |  B 09/07/08
  46.   "does not buy this G-d given promised land theory" 16:15  |  Sam 09/07/08
  47.   Coexistence?? 16:15  |  by gum 09/07/08
  48.   Ya Ahmed, lebas huya? 16:19  |  utagawa 09/07/08
  49.   JOHNBOY The Arabs in Palestine are responsible for going along 16:25  |  PETER SM 09/07/08
  50.   Re Steve #37 16:38  |  Esther 09/07/08
  51.   the truth is 16:50  |  rm 09/07/08
  52.   Telaviv is part of Jaffa and this is an arab city 16:54  |  Ibrahim 09/07/08
  53.   The Jews of Shderot could ask Hamas for protection 16:59  |  Ibrahim 09/07/08
  54.   haaretz` one way street 17:00  |  Arie 09/07/08
  55.   wHY "hAARETZ" IS NOT PUBLISHED IN aRABIC? 17:16  |  IBRAHIM 09/07/08
  56.   The mortars are being fired by "splinter groups"! 17:29  |  McQueen 09/07/08
  57.   And we should care ... why again? 17:42  |  Fred Michaelsberg 09/07/08
  58.   its the occupation stupid 17:43  |  peter 09/07/08
  59.   This EDITORIAL is IMPARTIAL and Humane 17:52  |  Amnon 09/07/08
  60.   WHOSE BEEN PROTECTING ISRAELIS FROM PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE?NOT MERT 17:55  |  glenna 09/07/08
  61.   Anyone who thinks the US press 17:55  |  Dave Duncan 09/07/08
  62.   This message is LOUD and CLEAR. 17:57  |  Dr Bosnan 09/07/08
  63.   peter of Montreal 18:09  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  64.   Fred Michaelsberg of Illinois 18:22  |  Janice 09/07/08
  65.   Why look like South Africa? 18:26  |  David 09/07/08
  66.   Nothing new here either... 18:46  |  Silvienne 09/07/08
  67.   One word about this editorial -- GARBAGE.... 18:47  |  misha 09/07/08
  68.   #65 david and a lack of accurate history 18:55  |  victor hardman 09/07/08
  69.   #65 david and a lack of accurate history 18:55  |  victor hardman 09/07/08
  70.   #65 david and a lack of accurate history 18:55  |  victor hardman 09/07/08
  71.   Thanks Haaretz; Overdue Honesty in Media 18:57  |  Gray 09/07/08
  72.   #65 david and a lack of accurate history 18:59  |  victor hardman 09/07/08
  73.   Absolutely!! 19:15  |  Tulip 09/07/08
  74.   Silvienne 19:17  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  75.   Silvienne 19:17  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  76.   Silvienne 19:17  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  77.   Silvienne 19:17  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  78.   Silvienne 19:18  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  79.   co-existence, not atrocities 19:19  |  Evyn Rubin 09/07/08
  80.   Tulip @ 73 19:49  |  Gabe1 09/07/08
  81.   The settlers are a cancer to both Palestinians and Israelis 19:54  |  Palestinian in UK 09/07/08
  82.   Janice @64 19:58  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  83.   The settlers are a cancer to both Palestinians and Israelis 19:58  |  Palestinian in UK 09/07/08
  84.   GABE NONE 20:03  |  Janice 09/07/08
  85.   Natural and expected although delayed response 20:25  |  Scharker Yid 09/07/08
  86.   janice @84 20:31  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  87.   Settlers instrumental in radicalizing Palestinians 20:34  |  Nathaniel 09/07/08
  88.   EVACUATE THE SETTLEMENTS NOW - FOR ZIONISM`S SAKE!!! 20:37  |  Rankin Mike 09/07/08
  89.   Degrees of violence 20:46  |  KUTW 09/07/08
  90.   Brazen settlers 21:03  |  Tosefta 09/07/08
  91.   GABE NONE 21:03  |  Janice 09/07/08
  92.   Law? Hey, its a military governance 21:05  |  heinz 09/07/08
  93.   4. Michael: The pal police is very busy 21:07  |  KUTW 09/07/08
  94.   12. Jamie: Solve the problem ? 21:11  |  KUTW 09/07/08
  95.   In the end, it doesn`t matter 21:12  |  heinz 09/07/08
  96.   Nut Ali @NO.1-Haaretz try #5 21:14  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  97.   Nut Ali @1 21:14  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  98.   KUTW @89 21:19  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  99.   Janice @91 21:29  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  100.   @91 janice- A reply 21:38  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  101.   #90-brazen arabist apologist 21:38  |  peter 09/07/08
  102.   Balfour Declaration 21:40  |  John Isenhower 09/07/08
  103.   98. GABE1 21:40  |  KUTW 09/07/08
  104.   Excuse me? Jews are defending themselves against Arab settlers! 21:54  |  Baruch Gold 09/07/08
  105.   Tossi @90 21:55  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  106.   KUTW @93 21:58  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  107.   End Arab occupation of Israel!!! Peace will prevail! 21:59  |  Baruch Gold 09/07/08
  108.   Rebranding Israel 22:01  |  David 09/07/08
  109.   More Haaretz Idiocy and Hypocrisy 22:20  |  Tod Zuckerman 09/07/08
  110.   Ignorant palestinian in UK!!!! 22:33  |  Elli Steinberg 09/07/08
  111.   107 Baruch Gold: End Arab occupation of Israel!!! 22:35  |  KUTW 09/07/08
  112.   BARUCH GOLD 22:41  |  Elli Steinberg 09/07/08
  113.   #78, Gabe... 22:42  |  Silvienne 09/07/08
  114.   Why do some ARABS call themselves Palestinians? 22:46  |  justiceforall 09/07/08
  115.   Jews learning from Palestinians? 22:50  |  dandeion 09/07/08
  116.   108. David Rebranding 22:52  |  KUTW 09/07/08
  117.   Silvienne @113 22:56  |  GABE1 09/07/08
  118.   The advantage of being a GREAT fantasizer (Peter #101) 23:01  |  Tosefta 09/07/08
  119.   Pals slow to peace because still believe they can have it all 23:18  |  Sam 09/07/08
  120.   There will never be peace while there are settlers 23:21  |  Chanalau, Tova 09/07/08
  121.   #118 arabist apologist tries to run 23:26  |  peter 09/07/08
  122.   Overwhelming MAJORITY of PA Muslims Support ATTACKS ON JEWS 23:27  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  123.   SEVERELY PERSECUTED Non-Muslims in Urgent Need of Help (1) 23:30  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  124.   SEVERELY PERSECUTED Non-Muslims in Urgent Need of Help (2) 23:32  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  125.   Sderot`s SUFFERING: NON-STOP WAR On INNOCENTS (1) 23:34  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  126.   Sderot`s SUFFERING: NON-STOP WAR On INNOCENTS (2) 23:36  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  127.   THOUSANDS of Jews Maimed & MURDERED for WICKED LIE of Occupation 23:40  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  128.   The Vicious JIHAD Against Britain`s INNOCENT Children (1) 23:44  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  129.   The Vicious JIHAD Against Britain`s INNOCENT Children (2) 23:48  |  Linda Rivera 09/07/08
  130.   Israel bashers. 23:50  |  Hilda 09/07/08
  131.   Editorial: Palestine must protect Jews from Haaretz hatemongers 00:00  |  Jewish Editorial 10/07/08
  132.   CHANALAU.What was your excuse before the "setttlers" 00:13  |  PETER SM 10/07/08
  133.   Arabs Must Stand Up Against Arab Terror world wide 00:18  |  Baruch Gold 10/07/08
  134.   Does anyone know where Peter ( #121) is? 00:22  |  Saul 10/07/08
  135.   Dave Duncan on free pass journalism 00:32  |  BBSNews 10/07/08
  136.   GABE 1 - The Bible and History 00:36  |  Janice 10/07/08
  137.   Jew-HATERS DECEIVE for Expansionist Islam. Already ARAB Pal State 00:38  |  Linda Rivera 10/07/08
  138.   Jew-HATERS WICKEDLY Ignore Justice for One Million JEWISH REFUGEE 00:40  |  Linda Rivera 10/07/08
  139.   Recognizing the JEWISH `Nakba` - by Lyn Julius (1) 00:43  |  Linda Rivera 10/07/08
  140.   GABE1 - You didn`t respond to this 00:43  |  Janice 10/07/08
  141.   Recognizing the JEWISH `Nakba` - by Lyn Julius (2) 00:44  |  Linda Rivera 10/07/08
  142.   arab collective punishment 00:50  |  peter 10/07/08
  143.   Linda Rivera did you know? 00:58  |  Janice 10/07/08
  144.   #134 arabist apologist dons another persona 01:05  |  peter 10/07/08
  145.   To Free Gilad Shalit 01:09  |  Janice 10/07/08
  146.   What good ´d removing WB-settlers do? More rockets? 01:22  |  AY 10/07/08
  147.   AMAD #34WHAT OCCUPATION 01:27  |  Tobia 10/07/08
  148.   jewish lies and deceit, nothin new. 01:40  |  4500 yrs of lies 10/07/08
  149.   Where is Mr Abbas? Let me guess. 03:01  |  Maureen Ann 10/07/08
  150.   Far too easy on terrorists targetting Sderot, Ashkelon 03:16  |  Chaim 10/07/08
  151.   Janice @140 03:32  |  GABE1 10/07/08
  152.   Janice @136 03:39  |  GABE1 10/07/08
  153.   Janice, #136 04:11  |  mikeber 10/07/08
  154.   People don`t understand 04:26  |  mikeber 10/07/08
  155.   havlagah 04:28  |  ehud 10/07/08
  156.   #147 This occupation, TOBIA... 04:46  |  Johnboy 10/07/08
  157.   Who are the real occupiers? 04:49  |  Great White North 10/07/08
  158.   Solution 05:02  |  JB 10/07/08
  159.   #49 PETER SM sinks even lower...... 2nd try 05:11  |  Johnboy 10/07/08
  160.   some rules on protection 05:42  |  jj 10/07/08
  161.   Too easy on Ha`aretz editorials 07:11  |  Harry 10/07/08
  162.   nothing compares 08:10  |  rm 10/07/08
  163.   To Janice #145 09:03  |  Hastaroth 10/07/08
  164.   #151 Think a bit harder about your logic, jj 09:50  |  Johnboy 10/07/08
  165.   #161 Harry vents his spleen 10:02  |  Johnboy 10/07/08
  166.   Response to Gabe1 14:15  |  Tulip 10/07/08
  167.   to Janet (regarding Gabe1) 14:20  |  Tulip 10/07/08
  168.   The only way to STOP setter`as abuse is... 16:14  |  Ari 10/07/08
  169.   Judith - egg or chicken first? 20:51  |  Lisa 13/07/08
  170.   proud to be a religious Jew living in the Shomron 06:09  |  Gary Masters 04/11/08
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