Barak gets death threat over West Bank settlement freeze
'If you harm the settlements, I will kill you,' read part of the letter sent to Barak, according to Channel 10.
By Haaretz Service and Amos Harel Tags: Shin Bet Ehud Barak Israel settlements Israel newsDefense Minister Ehud Barak has received a death threat, apparently from far-rightists who oppose his involvement in implementing the 10-month freeze in West Bank settlement construction, Channel 10 news reported on Tuesday.
"If you think of destroying the settlements, you are mistaken, and I will kill you," read part of the letter, which has been transferred to the Shin Bet Security Service for investigation, according to Channel 10.
"I will harm you or your children, be careful," the letter continued. "If not now, then when you are no longer a minister and have no security around you."
Channel 2 news reported last week that security had been increased for Barak due to fears over threats from right-wing extremists. The threats to Barak come after similar threats were made against Police Commissioner David Cohen.
National Union MK Michael Ben Ari on Tuesday dismissed the death threats as political spin.
"One week ago we heard about the police commissioner being threatened, after which we heard about the public security minister receiving threats and today it's Barak," said Ben Ari.
"The next stage will be that Barak's Filipino housekeeper will receive a [threatening] letter. We are talking about spin from seasoned spokesmen who are leaking biased information. It's a joke," he said.
Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin last week said that extremists will try to sow chaos in order to prevent the settlement freeze from being enforced.
He cited the recent arson attack on a mosque in the Palestinian village of Yasuf as an example of the type of provocations the settlers would resort to, in order to interfere with security forces' activities.
The Shin Bet on Sunday said it was investigating the source of a number of threats made against Police Commissioner David Cohen in recent days.
Police believe that the threatening letters were sent to Cohen by angry right-wing activists, in response to his recent declaration that security forces were intent on stopping any attempts to disrupt enforcement of the West Bank settlement freeze.
"You have been marked for death," said a letter sent to Cohen. "Your day of judgment is near."
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Getting an emotional response from the public is exactly what they want. Think about it. Targeting children? That's designed to spark your rage. Start thinking and de-constructing events.
Or is that term just reserved for Palestinians?
time to enlist Gaza guys to keep Barak safe.
I bet Barak sent those threats just to play martyr before world opinion.
We all might have issues with Barak but he is a Jew, an Israeli, an elected official and a human being with a family. Any talk of harming a fellow Jew is un-Jewish and very immoral.
Thats a great thought, but we all know the settlers will never leave. and the Gov't will never plow down any isrlie house. even the ones in illegal settlements. the only houses to be plowed down are arab houses, and they have kept that up for over 60 years.
Barak is only a hero when it comes to hit a jew. He is a coward. What ever will be will be. I can't for my life understand why Bibi has him in his cabinet.
People need to read the book "Murder in the Name of God" by Karpin and Friedman. The authors write about how extremist rabbis in Israel gave their approval to murder Rabin because he was "giving back the sacred land of Israel" to Arafat. Israelis apparently have not learned anything since the awful events of 1995. Threats against the Prime Miniister, Defense Minister, police and army should be met with long jail terms. Unless this madness is nipped in the bud now it will grow into a cancer that will destroy Israel. Right wing extremists are more dangerous to Israel than Iran and Syria are.
I don't wish anybody to be threatened or to be killed, but if anybody is going to be threatened I'd rather it was high up politicians who are very happy to threaten others, rather than ordinary people.
The easiest solution: Have the IDF completely leave the West Bank - whatever settlers want to stay, can definitely become citizens of the future Palestine (just like 20% of Israeli citizens are Palestinians). But the settlers who stay will have to behave like menschs! If they don't want to stay, they can of course move back within the Green Line. No more death threats about a housing freeze!!!!
This just proves (again) that the settlers (many of them) are a bunch of lunatic fanatics who are no better then the terrorists we are fighting.The Israeli government has been lenient with them over the years and will pay a price if it doesn't deal with them in a tough and determined manner.The future of Israeli democracy is at stake.
The current domestic situation in Israel is appalling. Of course one cannot be surprised, since law and order in the "wild west bank", no longer exists. The West Bank has been taken over by the far right wing of a movement, that is now far beyond the control of Jerusalem. Of course they have some MK·s who help quash any further attempts by the government in quelling this quasi uprising. Obviously, any plan that the current administration has vis a vis a peace process, can be forgotten. There is no answer, for these rebels will resort to violence. Which they have shown in the past. However, there just may be a last resort. Keep the large settlements, swap them for land inside the green line. As for the rest, simply hand them over to the PA and let our zealous, rebellious and pathetic brethren be governed by the Palestinians living side by side in perfect harmony. yaaaawn. Obviously they would require visas to enter Israel. The saying, "You reap what you sow", does come to mind.
it's not very likely he'd have faked something like this. if discovered, it would end his career. or you would think so anyway.
...or Hezbollah?
Yeah. A leftist trying to tarnish you wrote it! Maybe it was the same leftist who assassinated Rabin, or the leftist dressed up as the psychopath Teitel, or the leftist who cuts down olive trees on Palestinian farms, or the leftist who burns mosques, or the leftist who abuses children in Jlem, or the leftist who throws stones at police over a parking lot.... Maybe it's even a huge leftist conspiracy to make people think that fundamentalist settlers are unbalanced.
Idolising the Land.
... are doing in the Knesset... may G*d preserve us from such 'law-makers' and the advice that they offer...
Time to use our Gaza tactics on settlers. They are making us look bad to the world and we need to shut them up and put them back on a boat to wherever they came from.
to pave the way for new evictions.
First is the topic of the validity of this letter.Next is the question why was this letter generated to the public without action? Finally is my opinion that these letter writers are truly living up to the Arab model of Zionists.All of Isreal should realize this,When Isreal loses it's innocence,it becomes very possible it would lose its existance as a livable state.
If he thinks that he can cede Judah for an Arab handshake he is in for real war.
What would happen in the event of a real freeze?
As a former bureaucrat I have said for many years that it would cost less for Israel to relocate all the settlers than it does to continue to provide security for them. The government should declare ALL settlements in the West Bank not a part of Israel. The settlers should not be forced out as they were from Gaza, but they should be told that any who choose to stay will no longer be protected by the IDF or Border Police. The settlers and the ultra religious have gained far too much power over the government and the Israeli people. It is time for a change!
Israel falls if the settlers succeed. An apple is distoyed by its own worms.
When this loonie is found the prosecutor needs to make an example of him/her.
Barak is a quirky guy with one heck of a resume. He has more and better experience than anyone in the coalition. I think some of his actions are off the wall, but it dont take a genius to recognize that the piano playing ballet dancer is invaluable to us. Nutcases wanting to harm him are either true nutcases (dangerous and undesirable) or simply mean (dangerous and undesirable). Talk about lack of appreciation!
Killing jews and righteous gentiles even to save your life is forbidden and judaism must adjust its movements according to the forces . The USA and Russia are the superpowers and were vital in giving birth to the jewish state and in blood together we will fight neo-nazism everywhere.
Happy New Year Israel.
... if these blind fanatics are allowed to prevail... pre-meditated threat and terror... no-holds-barred...
remember when the squatters put a curse on sharon? :)
for the Palestinians. With their attitude, Israel will have a hard time surviving the next 10 years.
These settlers are very sick people. These far-rightists are very sick people....what is becoming of this country....why do they reflect their hatred onto us.
this is a very serious development. Let's not forget that Ehud Barak is very cunning. This is very likely be a forged letter, the intention of which is to justify harsh measures against Jews living in the territories. It's been done before, with our media's help and blessing.
A Prime Minister is already murdered, and now another threat to the FM. Perhaps the Israeli people can make a decisive choice and put an end to the Settlers and religious-right domination of Israeli politics.
This is the result of Israel allowing the settlers to set the agenda for 40 years.
The settlers are destroying the future of the state of israel. We should take the painful act of withdrawing from the WB and reinvesting the resources in building a viable state on the land we were given with hope and future for all those in the region. We will also gain the upper moral ground that has been worn away from years of occupation. I am sick of paying more than 50% of my taxes to subsidize this ridiculous situation. I am subsidizing these settlers who are ruining my future in the state of israel. The settlers attitudes towards the local population are vaguely similar to the hatred the nazis shared for the jews in eastern europe. Come on - we are better than that!
This is not a nice turn of events for an action that will, in the long term, save many Israeli and Palestinian lives. The threats such as this should be treated with the same level of detail as those received within Gaza and West bank - midnight raids and live rounds. Even if his promise of a settlement freeze doesn't materialise I wish him luck. We do not want another Rabin!!
The idea of having a Jewish state was to protect Jewish people. The life threats generated by the settlers against Israeli ministers negate this idea and shows that a multy national state may be safer for all. I hope that the Israeli government will take the Palestinian offer to leave the settlers at what will eventually become a Palestinian state.
for some readers to excuse or support these wild animals who threaten children. Societies are reduced to the lowest level of behavior they tolerate. These crazies have not only been tolerated, they have been cultivated.
Where I live, in a pretty mainstream Gush Emunim community, nobody talks like that- not even amongst ourselves. It's a false-flag, maybe the Shabbak or even some leftist trying to tarnish us.
Israel cannot survive if we allow the settlers to openly threaten our elected officials with acts of terrorism. The government should act swiftly and harshly by bulldozing down all illegal outposts and arresting and deporting from the West Bank anyone involved in their construction. Each time the settlers misbehave, declare their homes in a security corridor, get out the armored bulldoze and tear their homes down. If the government does not start acting, they will soon be taking orders from the Yeshivas!