Border Policewoman wounded in fresh clash with settlers
Policewoman moderately hurt as officials try to enforce West Bank settlement freeze; three arrested.
By The Associated Press and Chaim Levinson Tags: Israel settlements Israel newsA Border Policewoman was moderately wounded on Tuesday during a clash between settlers and Israeli security forces, as Civil Administration officials tried to enforce a freeze on new construction in West Bank settlements.
The clash, which took place in the settlement of Tzofim, was the first such incident after an eight-day lull in violence.
It began when Civil Administration officials, police and Israel Defense Forces soldiers came to the settlement to confiscate building equipment set to be used in violation of the moratorium. About 60 right-wing youths prevented their entry, blocking the road to the settlement with rocks.
The Border Policewoman was wounded during the ensuing clash between the sides, after which she was taken to the Meir hospital in Kfaf Sava for treatment.
Police spokesman Gil Elhadad said about 100 settlers, most of them teenagers, burned tires and blocked the entrance to the settlement of Tsofit, in the northern part of the West Bank near the line with Israel.
Elhadad said some of them jumped the police officer and beat her, breaking several ribs. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries, he said. He did not give her name or age.
Police later arrested three people on suspicion of attacking a policeman.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the settlement freeze last month as a bid to restart stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. Settlers and their supporters have resisted the move, attempting to block the entry of inspectors to settlements and staging protests across the country.
The Palestinians, for their part, say Netanyahu's offer is not genuine since it does not include east Jerusalem, which they want as the capital of a future state, or 3,000 housing units under construction.
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You shouldn't use the term Genocide lightly - the terme ist defined: The definitional article included in the 1948 Genocide convention stipulates: Article II In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. source: http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide /gendef.htm Surely as settlement "freeze" does not intend the above mentioned....
Does this freeze not remind one of the Nuremberg laws? Is it not natural that Jews are upset when their homes are threatened and their land is being stolen? However, it is shameful to attack a female officer and this kind of behavior is not what we need to achieve independence for the land of Israel.
Lumping Obama and Bibi together as enemies shows just how few friends the settlers have.
Great White North, stop using the word "genocide" with disrespect. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. Nothing is being destroyed here. Israel is backing up the decision it choose to make regarding the freeze and some Israeli's are refusing to follow the law. Comparing this to genocide is spitting in the face of those who have faced the reality of genocide. Grow up.
It's exactly because of these people that there is no peace, they have no morals or conscious.
She's called a police officer; there's no need to use the terms 'policeman' or 'policewoman'.
The very border patrol that has turned a blind eye towards Settler violence is now the victim of violence from the very same settlers? I feel sorry for the poor woman who payed the physical penalty for the policies that came from politicians who never have to personally face the problems their policies have created.
You obviously have no idea what are you talking about. more than 30% of the Soldiers in Elite Units are from Settlements. The IDF is functioning in the Westbank as a Buffer between them and the Palestinians. Should the IDF retreat, The Pals would flee to Jordan or Egypt by the thousands per Day.
It is a crime under both 'Palestinian' and Jordanian law. What an ignorant person. The Arabs are the illegal squatters on Israeli lands
To #1 - if you suggest that Jews should be free to move to the West Bank and build there, then Palestinians should be equally free to move into Israel and freely build on open land there. Fair is fair.
If palestinians were to engage in such an action to the extent that a police officer was seriously injured, would the response have been limited to several people being arrested? Is it possible that the law is executed with less vigor when the offenders are Jewish?
in my country, attacking a policeman is a serious offense.
and make the jail time sting. It would also be a good idea to cut off the settler subsidies across the board, as that might force the law abiding settlers to police their own, since obviously the IDF and Israeli police don't seem up to the task.
"The IDF should just retreat and leave these guys to fend for themselves" I agree. We'd see then how brave these "60 rightist youths" would be when they are fighting an actual enemy instead of their own police. This sort of continuous settler violence will bring Israel to the brink of civil war, and they care not in the least...
Do these settlers know nothing but violence? And against their own police. The IDF should just retreat and leave these guys to fend for themselves.
Well, Mr. North of Canada, you are right that it is not illegal for Jews to live in the West Bank. However it is illegal for Israelis to do so. It's as simple as that.
Illegal acts by the border police and IDf should result in world condemnation. Its not illegal for Jews to live in the West Bank. This is genocide against the Jewish people instigated by Obama and supported by Bibi. This is a crime against humanity.