Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., November 04, 2008 Cheshvan 6, 5769 | | Israel Time: 06:46 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate U.S. election Travel Week's End Anglo File

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. Advertisement 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. Bookmark to del.icio.us   4th quarter jitters Democrats have grown so used to losing, they feel any good news must have a catch. Designing an icon Ten years ago, two students asked Israeli Ruth Kedar to design their new company's logo.   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.