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Last update - 00:00 14/09/2008
Security officials vow tougher line against settler violence
By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff and Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel, West Bank, Settlers 

Senior security officials said Saturday they would take a harder line in light of the recent spike in violence by West Bank settlers against Palestinians and Israeli soldiers.

A Palestinian youth was killed and a settler, two women tourists and eight Palestinians were injured in a series of violent incidents over the weekend throughout the West Bank. A military official called the events "wild rioting that must be stopped."

Defense Minister Ehud Barak condemned the attacks, which have included the beating of a deputy battalion commander at the outpost of Yad Yair on Wednesday, and the vandalizing of property in the Palestinian village of Asira al-Kabaliya on Saturday. In the Yad Yair incident, the officer's arm was broken.
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The events began Saturday morning when a Palestinian infiltrated the illegal outpost of Shalhevet Yam near Yitzhar and set fire to an empty mobile home. He then tried to enter another home and encountered a 10-year-old boy outside sent from a home nearby. The Palestinian stabbed the boy in the back and hand several times.

The Palestinian then fled to the village of Asira al-Kabaliya and the army set up roadblocks in an attempt to capture him.

A military official said of the first incident: "If the family had been there they would have been burned alive." A Yitzhar resident, Yehudit Liebman, said the family was away for the Sabbath.

The official said the boy was lightly injured. The Magen David Adom ambulance service took him to Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva.

"The terrorist came up to the Shalhevet neighborhood through the wadi from which the murderers of my brother and the murderers of Harel Ben-Nun came up more than 10 years ago," Liebman said.

According to Liebman, after the Palestinian set fire to the empty home, neighbors, the Stetmans, smelled the smoke and the parents sent their son, 10-year-old Tuvia, to warn the Ofan family of the fire.

Meanwhile, the terrorist tried to enter the Ofans' home though a bedroom window, but according to Liebman, Revital Ofan struggled with him and closed the shutter on his hands. He then stabbed Tuvia, who reportedly was able to wrest the knife away before the assailant grabbed him and threw him down the valley.

About two hours after the stabbing, dozens of Yitzhar settlers, some armed, set out for the village, where they threw stones and fired at Palestinians and damaged homes and vehicles.

At least eight Palestinians were injured lightly to moderately, and were taken to the hospital in Nablus.

"I saw the settlers throwing stones at my neighbors' homes and the army arrived. Every time the settlers left one house and moved to another the army was after them like a cat and mouse," Mohammed Asayra, 58, told Haaretz.

"When the army moved away from our area we came out to face the attackers, and then the army came and began shooting tear gas and rubber bullets at us," Asayra added.

Barak held consultations with security officials Thursday on the recent violence and reportedly intends to take harsher measures against extreme right-wing settlers involved in violence.

Yuval Azoulay and Jonathan Lis contributed to this report.

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      1.   Arab Stabs 9yr old, Jews respond, Tougher Line against... 04:11  |  Tom 14/09/08
      2.   justified? sure sure 04:24  |  VIPER 14/09/08
      3.   Settlers Take Matters Into Their Own Hands 04:37  |  Scott David Lippe MD 14/09/08
      4.   its very simple 05:46  |  Ben Packer 14/09/08
      5.   Palestinian murderer stabs boy in back so israel takes action.. 06:42  |  James a Gentile 14/09/08
      6.   Hebron Saturday... 07:01  |  Maureen Ann 14/09/08
      7.   Haaretz 07:26  |  Yosemite 14/09/08
      8.   Fight our REAL enemies, not our PATRIOTS!!! 07:28  |  Ben Yeppi 14/09/08
      9.   Provocations lead to provocations 07:38  |  Natallie Durson 14/09/08
      10.   A better future for the Arabs of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. 07:54  |  Jean Van Daem 14/09/08
      11.   Shame on Israel...... 08:08  |  Dolly 14/09/08
      12.   Israel Learn that being a `good neighbour`.... 08:29  |  Dagma 14/09/08
      13.   violence 08:53  |  colin 14/09/08
      14.   tougher line huh? 10:20  |  rm 14/09/08
      15.   And the tougher line against Arab terrorists is? 10:46  |  Yaakov K. 14/09/08
      16.   Settler enterprise is ruination of Israel ... 11:07  |  Esther 14/09/08
      17.   I`ll believe it when I see it 12:20  |  B`galil 14/09/08
      18.   If illegal outpost, why were they there?????? 12:23  |  B`galil 14/09/08
      19.   Israel has forgotten who its enemies are 12:41  |  Michael A. Shoemaker 14/09/08
      20.   # 13 yaakov 13:10  |  Axel 14/09/08
      21.   #7 NUTallie - If the first crime, stabbing, 13:11  |  * BEN JABO 14/09/08
      22.   #9 Dolly - You lost something, besides your mind 13:13  |  * BEN JABO 14/09/08
      23.   #4 Maureen Ann - What would you do without Maan 13:16  |  * BEN JABO 14/09/08
      24.   #17 Michael A. Shoemaker they are illegal settlers 15:15  |  Labhras 14/09/08
      25.   Reminder to Natallie Durson 15:29  |  Israeli citizen 14/09/08
      26.   Cause of Israel`s security and world peace must rein in Settlers 15:35  |  Ivar 14/09/08
      27.   Tougher line against all violence needed 15:47  |  x-ray 14/09/08
      28.   Relax, this is just empty talk 16:09  |  spyguy 14/09/08
      29.   The IDF has no chance against the settlers 18:20  |  Natallie Durson 14/09/08
      30.   to #1 18:21  |  Israel 14/09/08
      31.   Israeli citizen - Thanks for the chance to respond! 18:27  |  Natallie Durson 14/09/08
      32.   355 100TH ATTEMPT TO PUT LABARSE OF ARABIA STRAIGHT 18:48  |  v.hardman 14/09/08
      33.   v hardman 32 22:48  |  potobac 14/09/08
      34.   potobac 33 - there was no curtailment 00:29  |  ChanahS 15/09/08
      35.   chanah s 05:26  |  potobac 15/09/08
      36.   #20 (Axel) -- Quite wrong. 06:12  |  Yaakov K. 15/09/08
      37.   GET RID OF ALL ARABS IN ISRAEL. 14:34  |  Petra 15/09/08
      38.   # 36 yaakov 15:16  |  Axel 15/09/08
      39.   Yeah its been brutal 16:19  |  Dave Duncan 15/09/08
      40.   Yeah its been brutal 16:19  |  Dave Duncan 15/09/08
      41.   #36 yaakov 17:50  |  Axel 15/09/08
      42.   #24 Labrat - we could say the same about you 07:17  |  * BEN JABO 16/09/08
      43.   #20 OXel - Shot on the spot 07:21  |  * BEN JABO 16/09/08
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