Barak warns Hebron riots could spread

Defense Minister Ehud Barak is meeting today with the Yesha Council of settlers to discuss the evacuation of the so-called House of Contention in Hebron. But he said yesterday that despite the last-ditch effort to postpone the house's evacuation, "we might be facing a wave of violence that could spread to the entire West Bank."

Sources in Barak's office say the chances the proposal will be accepted are not great.

Meanwhile, senior officials in the Palestinian Authority expressed concerns that the vandalism by settlers against Muslims, mosques and Muslim cemeteries could provoke a revenge attack by Palestinians.

The meeting between Barak and the Yesha leaders is scheduled for 8:30 A.M. at Barak's office in Tel Aviv.

According to the proposal, the Yesha Council and the state would ask the court to expedite its hearing on the dispute regarding the ownership of the house. The Palestinian owner of the building says he did not sell it to settlers.

Defense Ministry sources say they doubt a compromise will be struck, in part because it is unclear if Yesha would be able to impose its will on leaders of the struggle.

Ministry sources say the leaders of the struggle know they will not be able to prevent an evacuation the moment the forces are given the order to carry it out. So these settlers are planning violent confrontations that will keep the security forces occupied throughout the West Bank.

Barak also told Channel 2: "The only reason to postpone it is our desire to try everything to minimize the chance that it will end with bloodshed, God forbid." Barak added that "nothing will cause us to allow a small and extreme group to go against the authority of the state."

Sources in Barak's office said they were frustrated by the inability to enforce restraining orders keeping prominent right-wing activists out of the West Bank. This week another attempt failed to keep right-wing activist Noam Federman out of the region.

Barak and the Israel Defense Forces decided to expedite preparations for the house's evacuation, following Tuesday's violence between settlers and Palestinians. In addition, the Border Police are being beefed up near the house and are working to keep more settlers from coming to the site.

Yesterday, amid general quiet, settlers broke into two Arab homes near the wholesale market - the so-called Shapira House and Vizman House - which they had evacuated about two and a half years ago after an agreement with the state.

Palestinian officials said they were worried about a possible revenge attack not only over the House of Contention, but because of the recent increase in attacks against Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including anti-Islamic vandalism.

Hussein al-Sheikh, in charge of liaison with the Israelis, told Haaretz: "Derogatory graffiti against the Prophet Mohammed might ignite an all-out conflagration."

PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in a statement that he was following the settlers' outbursts with concern. Palestinian government spokesman Jamal Zakut added that the PA would do everything it could to prevent violence on the Palestinian side but demanded that Israel "stop the settler terror."