10 mar 2014
Palestinian villagers on Monday captured an Israeli settler when he was trying to steal sheep from a field in the northern West Bank village of al-Lubban al-Sharqiyya south of Nablus.
A Palestinian official who monitors settlement-related activities told Ma’an that a settler from the illegal Eli settlement tried to steal sheep from a Palestinian shepherd before a number of villagers arrived and captured him.
Ghassan Daghlas added that Palestinians notified officials in the Palestinian Authority who contacted the Israeli liaison department.
Just days earlier, villagers from Jalud and Talfit villages south of Nablus captured a settler but he managed to escape shortly afterward.
A Palestinian official who monitors settlement-related activities told Ma’an that a settler from the illegal Eli settlement tried to steal sheep from a Palestinian shepherd before a number of villagers arrived and captured him.
Ghassan Daghlas added that Palestinians notified officials in the Palestinian Authority who contacted the Israeli liaison department.
Just days earlier, villagers from Jalud and Talfit villages south of Nablus captured a settler but he managed to escape shortly afterward.
26 feb 2014
Three arrested in connection to Acre Old City blast
Lead suspect in LGBT murder spree released to house arrest
Three arrested in connection to Acre Old City blast
Lead suspect in LGBT murder spree released to house arrest
25 feb 2014
Despite dozens of arrests, there have been few convictions; pro-settler vandalism continues almost weekly, with Arab towns, peace activists and even IDF targeted.
Last March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a crackdown on crimes that elsewhere might be shrugged off as ugly but sufferable mischief - racist graffiti, slashed tires, hacked orchards and small-scale arson.
Such vandalism takes on a whole different meaning when it is perpetrated by ultranationalist Jews against Palestinian property, risking renewed violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, disrupting US-mediated peace talks and further sapping Israel's image abroad.
Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, have likened the incidents - dubbed "price tagging" in a reference to making the government "pay" for curbs on Jewish settlement of Palestinian land - to terrorism.
Yet despite dozens of arrests, there have been few convictions, and the vandalism continues to occur almost weekly. Churches, peace activists and even the IDF have also been targets.
"In every incident, we go for the maximum possible charges, but in the end we tend to run up against a void in the court system," Chief Inspector Shmuel Gerbi, lead investigator for the police's price tag taskforce, told Reuters in an interview.
Some security officials and independent experts say if the crackdown is failing, the problem is that the justice system handles price-tag suspects with kid gloves. Even in Netanyahu's own governing coalition, there are those who advocate leniency.
It's another indication of the tightrope Netanyahu walks on the settlements, which most world powers deem illegal as they take up territory envisaged making up a Palestinian state.
Many Israelis see the settlers as pioneers realising a Jewish birthright to biblical land, and Netanyahu wants to keep most of the enclaves under any peace deal though he has acknowledged some would have to be relinquished.
The taskforce on price tagging is not window dressing. Its 60 officers, backed by Israel's domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, recruit informants, tap phones and run undercover stings in settlements where Israeli authorities are unwelcome.
Taskforce commander Chief Superintendent Udi Levy said they meet monthly Palestinian counterparts who seal off scenes of price-tag crimes. Israeli forensic teams arrive within hours "provided their security has been assured", he said.
In November, the taskforce swooped on two teens accused of planning to desecrate a Jerusalem church and embarrass Israel on the eve of a visit by French President Francois Hollande.
Minor Menace
The methods recall those used against Palestinian militants, something the Shin Bet says is warranted as price taggers usually strike covertly, at dark and in small bands.
But in contrast to Israel's mass jailing of Palestinian suspects, only one price tagger has seen serious prison time so far: a man sentenced to a year for slashing Arab car tires and daubing a death threat on the wall of an Israeli anti-settler activist's home.
Justice officials say comparing price-tag vandals with militants is inappropriate because the former don't aim to cause physical injury.
"These are not acts of murder, or attempted murder or aggravated assault," Deputy State Attorney Yehuda Shaffer told Reuters. "Palestinian terror is characterized by far greater violence - not spray-painting slogans."
That's why lighter charges, such as those imposed for damage to property, usually apply.
But price-tag incidents can easily get out of control, other officials say.
"What if they go torch a mosque one night, and it turns out there is someone sleeping inside?" said a Shin Bet official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Police say there are only a few score culprits, many known by name. A high number of suspects - some 50 percent, according to police - are under-aged, some as young as 12.
"It is very hard to get a judge to approve holding young minors for interrogation, and that makes the investigation difficult," Shaffer said.
The Shin Bet, according to one veteran officer, itself avoids using under-aged suspects as informants or questioning them even briefly without their parents present.
Mixed Messages
There are indications the gloves are coming off, however.
This month, three settlers were charged with torching cars and spraying a political slogan on a wall in a Palestinian village.
The indictment was secured in part thanks to a confession one of the defendants gave while the Shin Bet interrogated him over 9 days, during which he was denied access to legal counsel - twice the period normally allowed by law - taking advantage of special measures approved by the Defense Ministry last year.
It was the first time the Shin Bet had kept an Israeli incommunicado in a price tag case. In a statement, the security agency called the three settlers' alleged vandalism a "terror attack" - implicitly putting price taggers in the same category as the armed Palestinian militants who are its usual quarry.
Uri Ariel, a cabinet minister from the far-right Bayit Yehudi party, which sits in Netanyahu's coalition, excoriated the Shin Bet for the move. Denying the settler access to lawyers, he said, recalled "dark regimes, the Middle Ages".
"The Shin Bet should be kind enough to try not to breach the civil rights of Israeli citizens," Ariel told Army Radio earlier this month.
The perceived failure of the crackdown is the subject of an appeal to the Supreme Court from the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, who argue the state must not turn a blind eye to incitement that can fuel price tag attacks.
The association's president, former Justice Ministry official Irit Kohn, acknowledged the authorities' tougher tone but said price taggers were still not being treated as firmly as they deserve to be, given the threat to national security.
"These are not pranksters," Kohn said. "Any of their actions could set off conflagration, so fragile are the ties between Israel and various wings of Islam and Christianity."
Kohn said her association defends Jews who suffer anti-Semitism abroad, "and it doesn't help our case much when such things happen to religious minorities in Israel".
Last March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a crackdown on crimes that elsewhere might be shrugged off as ugly but sufferable mischief - racist graffiti, slashed tires, hacked orchards and small-scale arson.
Such vandalism takes on a whole different meaning when it is perpetrated by ultranationalist Jews against Palestinian property, risking renewed violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, disrupting US-mediated peace talks and further sapping Israel's image abroad.
Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, have likened the incidents - dubbed "price tagging" in a reference to making the government "pay" for curbs on Jewish settlement of Palestinian land - to terrorism.
Yet despite dozens of arrests, there have been few convictions, and the vandalism continues to occur almost weekly. Churches, peace activists and even the IDF have also been targets.
"In every incident, we go for the maximum possible charges, but in the end we tend to run up against a void in the court system," Chief Inspector Shmuel Gerbi, lead investigator for the police's price tag taskforce, told Reuters in an interview.
Some security officials and independent experts say if the crackdown is failing, the problem is that the justice system handles price-tag suspects with kid gloves. Even in Netanyahu's own governing coalition, there are those who advocate leniency.
It's another indication of the tightrope Netanyahu walks on the settlements, which most world powers deem illegal as they take up territory envisaged making up a Palestinian state.
Many Israelis see the settlers as pioneers realising a Jewish birthright to biblical land, and Netanyahu wants to keep most of the enclaves under any peace deal though he has acknowledged some would have to be relinquished.
The taskforce on price tagging is not window dressing. Its 60 officers, backed by Israel's domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, recruit informants, tap phones and run undercover stings in settlements where Israeli authorities are unwelcome.
Taskforce commander Chief Superintendent Udi Levy said they meet monthly Palestinian counterparts who seal off scenes of price-tag crimes. Israeli forensic teams arrive within hours "provided their security has been assured", he said.
In November, the taskforce swooped on two teens accused of planning to desecrate a Jerusalem church and embarrass Israel on the eve of a visit by French President Francois Hollande.
Minor Menace
The methods recall those used against Palestinian militants, something the Shin Bet says is warranted as price taggers usually strike covertly, at dark and in small bands.
But in contrast to Israel's mass jailing of Palestinian suspects, only one price tagger has seen serious prison time so far: a man sentenced to a year for slashing Arab car tires and daubing a death threat on the wall of an Israeli anti-settler activist's home.
Justice officials say comparing price-tag vandals with militants is inappropriate because the former don't aim to cause physical injury.
"These are not acts of murder, or attempted murder or aggravated assault," Deputy State Attorney Yehuda Shaffer told Reuters. "Palestinian terror is characterized by far greater violence - not spray-painting slogans."
That's why lighter charges, such as those imposed for damage to property, usually apply.
But price-tag incidents can easily get out of control, other officials say.
"What if they go torch a mosque one night, and it turns out there is someone sleeping inside?" said a Shin Bet official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Police say there are only a few score culprits, many known by name. A high number of suspects - some 50 percent, according to police - are under-aged, some as young as 12.
"It is very hard to get a judge to approve holding young minors for interrogation, and that makes the investigation difficult," Shaffer said.
The Shin Bet, according to one veteran officer, itself avoids using under-aged suspects as informants or questioning them even briefly without their parents present.
Mixed Messages
There are indications the gloves are coming off, however.
This month, three settlers were charged with torching cars and spraying a political slogan on a wall in a Palestinian village.
The indictment was secured in part thanks to a confession one of the defendants gave while the Shin Bet interrogated him over 9 days, during which he was denied access to legal counsel - twice the period normally allowed by law - taking advantage of special measures approved by the Defense Ministry last year.
It was the first time the Shin Bet had kept an Israeli incommunicado in a price tag case. In a statement, the security agency called the three settlers' alleged vandalism a "terror attack" - implicitly putting price taggers in the same category as the armed Palestinian militants who are its usual quarry.
Uri Ariel, a cabinet minister from the far-right Bayit Yehudi party, which sits in Netanyahu's coalition, excoriated the Shin Bet for the move. Denying the settler access to lawyers, he said, recalled "dark regimes, the Middle Ages".
"The Shin Bet should be kind enough to try not to breach the civil rights of Israeli citizens," Ariel told Army Radio earlier this month.
The perceived failure of the crackdown is the subject of an appeal to the Supreme Court from the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, who argue the state must not turn a blind eye to incitement that can fuel price tag attacks.
The association's president, former Justice Ministry official Irit Kohn, acknowledged the authorities' tougher tone but said price taggers were still not being treated as firmly as they deserve to be, given the threat to national security.
"These are not pranksters," Kohn said. "Any of their actions could set off conflagration, so fragile are the ties between Israel and various wings of Islam and Christianity."
Kohn said her association defends Jews who suffer anti-Semitism abroad, "and it doesn't help our case much when such things happen to religious minorities in Israel".
23 feb 2014
A man imprisoned in central Israel Sunday was killed by Israeli forces after he shot and injured three prison guards, according to Israeli media.
The Israeli news site Ynet reported that a prisoner in Rimonim Prison moderately injured two guards and lightly injured another after grabbing a gun.
After shooting the guards, the prisoner barricaded himself inside the jail, the report said.
A large group of Israeli forces reported to the scene and attempted to overtake the man. The prisoner was killed and another guard was lightly wounded during the Special Central Unit operation, the report said.
The prisoner was identified as Samuel Sheinbein, an Israeli-American in his thirties who was serving a murder sentence.
The Times of Israel reported that in 1997, Sheinbein was convicted for a murder outside Washington, DC. He immediately fled to Israel, where he gained citizenship. He successfully negotiated to be tried in Israel, where he received a lighter prison sentence than he may have in the US, according to the report.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prison Service did not answer calls seeking comment.
The Israeli news site Ynet reported that a prisoner in Rimonim Prison moderately injured two guards and lightly injured another after grabbing a gun.
After shooting the guards, the prisoner barricaded himself inside the jail, the report said.
A large group of Israeli forces reported to the scene and attempted to overtake the man. The prisoner was killed and another guard was lightly wounded during the Special Central Unit operation, the report said.
The prisoner was identified as Samuel Sheinbein, an Israeli-American in his thirties who was serving a murder sentence.
The Times of Israel reported that in 1997, Sheinbein was convicted for a murder outside Washington, DC. He immediately fled to Israel, where he gained citizenship. He successfully negotiated to be tried in Israel, where he received a lighter prison sentence than he may have in the US, according to the report.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prison Service did not answer calls seeking comment.
19 feb 2014
Police arrest Barnoar state witness after new details come to light
'The police, state attorney are trying to back out of the indictment and accuse the state witness of their failure to investigate Hagai Felician," attorney says.
Israel Police and the State Attorney's office decided Wednesday to arrest the state witness in the Barnoar case after new information came to light about the shooting that left , 16, dead and several others at the LGBT center wounded.
'The police, state attorney are trying to back out of the indictment and accuse the state witness of their failure to investigate Hagai Felician," attorney says.
Israel Police and the State Attorney's office decided Wednesday to arrest the state witness in the Barnoar case after new information came to light about the shooting that left , 16, dead and several others at the LGBT center wounded.
Family questioned over shooting at Tel Aviv AKIM center
Police investigation found hostel's mentally handicapped tenants were harassed and its manager threatened.
Police investigation found hostel's mentally handicapped tenants were harassed and its manager threatened.
18 feb 2014
Judge Nissim Yeshaya is in hot water for saying that ‘there are girls who enjoy rape’ during a court case june 5th 2013.
“ The number of criminal files against government employees in Israel significantly increased by 41% during 2013 ,” according to the annual report issued by the Israeli Discipline Department in the General Personnel Council. According to the survey results, 303 files were submitted in 2013 compared to 132 files during 2012.”
It also indicated that 142 pleas brought to the discipline court in 2013 compared to 132 during 2012, in an average of 7%.
About 53 government employees have been sacked while five employees were transferred from their offices.
The report revealed that 75% of the files submitted on charges of harassment and sexual offenses.
Most complaints were against workers of some bodies and institutions, which includes: Ministry of Education,311, Ministry of Health, 180, Taxes Authority, 126, Immigration and Housing Authorities, 50, Ministry of Transportation, 40, Fire Brigade Authority, 30 and 24 complaints were against Ministry of Justice, according to the report.
“ The number of criminal files against government employees in Israel significantly increased by 41% during 2013 ,” according to the annual report issued by the Israeli Discipline Department in the General Personnel Council. According to the survey results, 303 files were submitted in 2013 compared to 132 files during 2012.”
It also indicated that 142 pleas brought to the discipline court in 2013 compared to 132 during 2012, in an average of 7%.
About 53 government employees have been sacked while five employees were transferred from their offices.
The report revealed that 75% of the files submitted on charges of harassment and sexual offenses.
Most complaints were against workers of some bodies and institutions, which includes: Ministry of Education,311, Ministry of Health, 180, Taxes Authority, 126, Immigration and Housing Authorities, 50, Ministry of Transportation, 40, Fire Brigade Authority, 30 and 24 complaints were against Ministry of Justice, according to the report.
5 feb 2014
Three settlement outpost residents are indicted with planning, executing price tag operations in Samarian Palestinian village due to 'nationalistic motive, hostility towards Arab public'
Yehuda Landsberg, Benjamin Richter and Yehuda Savir – three residents of the Havat Gilad settlement outpost – were charged Wednesday with planning and executing price tag operations in the Samarian Palestinian village of Far'ata.
According to the indictment, the three arrived three months ago at the Palestinian village, set two Palestinian-owned vehicles on fire and sprayed Stars of David on nearby walls. Substantial damage was caused to the two cars that were torched. "The forbidden actions of the group members were performed due to nationalistic motives and out of hostility towards the Arab public," the indictment reads.
The three, aged 22-25, were defined by the Shin Bet as radical right-wing activists, and two of them were previously affiliated with other violent acts. Landsberg, according to the Shit Bet statement, was involved in illegal and violent activities against Palestinians and their property, was arrested several times by the police and interrogated on suspicion of carrying out severely violent activities due to nationalistic motives, but was never prosecuted.
Richter was involved in severe violent acts against Palestinians and their property, and was also interrogated by the police. In 2013, he was accused of attacking two Palestinians and his freedom of movement was restricted. The current indictment also claims he had violated his freedom of movement restrictions.
The Shin Bet investigation revealed additional information regarding the illegal and violent activities by the three in the Palestinian village. "If the truth had been revealed on time, it would have brought on a violent escalation," the incitement reads. "Price tag activities can undermine the public and region's safety," the statement reads.
"This affair shows the potential threat behind a small group of extremist activists, who use violent methods in order to fulfill their ideological desires, even at challenging government decisions and spreading terror within the Palestinian community. All this while causing severe damage to the State's image in the international arena."
Yehuda Landsberg, Benjamin Richter and Yehuda Savir – three residents of the Havat Gilad settlement outpost – were charged Wednesday with planning and executing price tag operations in the Samarian Palestinian village of Far'ata.
According to the indictment, the three arrived three months ago at the Palestinian village, set two Palestinian-owned vehicles on fire and sprayed Stars of David on nearby walls. Substantial damage was caused to the two cars that were torched. "The forbidden actions of the group members were performed due to nationalistic motives and out of hostility towards the Arab public," the indictment reads.
The three, aged 22-25, were defined by the Shin Bet as radical right-wing activists, and two of them were previously affiliated with other violent acts. Landsberg, according to the Shit Bet statement, was involved in illegal and violent activities against Palestinians and their property, was arrested several times by the police and interrogated on suspicion of carrying out severely violent activities due to nationalistic motives, but was never prosecuted.
Richter was involved in severe violent acts against Palestinians and their property, and was also interrogated by the police. In 2013, he was accused of attacking two Palestinians and his freedom of movement was restricted. The current indictment also claims he had violated his freedom of movement restrictions.
The Shin Bet investigation revealed additional information regarding the illegal and violent activities by the three in the Palestinian village. "If the truth had been revealed on time, it would have brought on a violent escalation," the incitement reads. "Price tag activities can undermine the public and region's safety," the statement reads.
"This affair shows the potential threat behind a small group of extremist activists, who use violent methods in order to fulfill their ideological desires, even at challenging government decisions and spreading terror within the Palestinian community. All this while causing severe damage to the State's image in the international arena."
30 jan 2014
The number of anti-Palestinians attacks by right-wing activists in Israel rose from 18 in 2012 to 25 attacks in 2013, according to the annual Shin Bet security agency report released this week. The report revealed that four people had been injured in 2013 in right-wing attacks, as compared to six such injuries in 2012. No deaths were recorded.
In 2013, 70 Jewish Israelis were indicted for harming Arab residents, whereas only 46 such indictments were recorded in 2012. Last year, 13 administrative restraining orders were also issued to restrict entry to the West Bank.
Shin Bet excluded the " price-tag" offensives from the report , classifying them as incidents rather than attacks.
Amir Peretz , Minister of Environmental Protection called on the Israeli occupation government to counter the offensives of "price tag" groups against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Arab Organisation for Human Rights in UK warned of the rise in Israeli attacks against Palestinians in the west Bank.
It has documented 30 attacks against Palestinians since the beginning of this year , it listed in its report the Israeli attacks against Palestinians' properties in the villages near Israeli illegal settlements , painting – printed racists slogans against Palestinians, and other attacks against Palestinians farmers and lands.
In 2013, 70 Jewish Israelis were indicted for harming Arab residents, whereas only 46 such indictments were recorded in 2012. Last year, 13 administrative restraining orders were also issued to restrict entry to the West Bank.
Shin Bet excluded the " price-tag" offensives from the report , classifying them as incidents rather than attacks.
Amir Peretz , Minister of Environmental Protection called on the Israeli occupation government to counter the offensives of "price tag" groups against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Arab Organisation for Human Rights in UK warned of the rise in Israeli attacks against Palestinians in the west Bank.
It has documented 30 attacks against Palestinians since the beginning of this year , it listed in its report the Israeli attacks against Palestinians' properties in the villages near Israeli illegal settlements , painting – printed racists slogans against Palestinians, and other attacks against Palestinians farmers and lands.
23 jan 2014
Israeli police have arrested two youths for writing “Death to Arabs” on two streets in Tel Aviv.
Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samari said in a statement that the slogan was written on the Bar Kochva and Dizengoff streets in Tel Aviv and signed with “M.F.”
Two young men are being held on suspicion of writing 15 anti-Arab slogans, she said.
Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samari said in a statement that the slogan was written on the Bar Kochva and Dizengoff streets in Tel Aviv and signed with “M.F.”
Two young men are being held on suspicion of writing 15 anti-Arab slogans, she said.
14 jan 2014
10 jan 2014
Three settlers from the illegal settlements of Talmon and Shadmot-Mehola have been arrested for planning an attack on an Israeli Land Authority clerk who distributes demolition orders for illegal structures in the West Bank, reports Jerusalem Post.
The settlers were arrested with two containers of gasoline and posters protesting the work of the Israel Land Authority.
Earlier this week the Israeli Authorities had uprooted 200 olive trees in the illegal settlement of Esh Kodesh since they had been planted without permission. The Israeli Authorities also demolished a building in Esh Kadosh this week due to lack of building permit.
The settlers were arrested with two containers of gasoline and posters protesting the work of the Israel Land Authority.
Earlier this week the Israeli Authorities had uprooted 200 olive trees in the illegal settlement of Esh Kodesh since they had been planted without permission. The Israeli Authorities also demolished a building in Esh Kadosh this week due to lack of building permit.
The scene of the attack in Kfar Qassem: 'Regards Eish Kodesh'
30 fruit trees cut down in Arab city, three men arrested in Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi next to house of senior appointee for issuing destruction orders
A radical West Bank settlers attack occurred late Thursday night, and another one was prevented, adding to the arrests police made on similar events that took place this past week.
The latest crime happened at a garden center next to Kfar Qassem, where 30 fruit trees were cut down with a sign next to them saying "Regards Eish Kodesh," referring to the Samarian region settlement whose settlers were attacked near the Palestinian village of Qusra.
Workers in the garden center arrived Friday morning at the scene and called police. The Rosh Ha'ayin unit is investigating.
In another event, before dawn, three men from the Samaria region and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank were arrested in the religious Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi.
The three are suspected of trying to conspire against a Civil Administration representative who lives on the kibbutz, in an attempt to damage his car. Police arrested them and found gas cans, and pictures of demolished buildings in Jewish settlements in Samaria.
The arrest happened around 3 am when a security member of the kibbutz saw them near the Civil Administration worker's property. He's responsible in part for handing out building permits for settlements in Samaria. Police also say that he's responsible for issuing demolition orders for illegal buildings.
"We don't know exactly what the three men's intentions were, whether to damage his car or his house," the security guard at the kibbutz said. "But we did find in their car gas cans and signs condemning the demolition of houses in the territories."
The three, residents of Talmon and Shadmot Mehola, aged 19-23, were investigated at the Beit Shean police station. They were in court Friday morning in Nazareth for a remand hearing.
The administrator of the kibbutz said that there were many Civil Administration workers living there, and none has been threatened before due to the work.
Prior to the latest events, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke out against the alleged misbehavior.
"The unacceptable phenomenon named Price Tag is terror in every sense and we are working against its perpetrators with zero tolerance and great determination," he said.
"We will not allow extremist groups to take control – against the law – of lands that do not belong to them and to threaten Palestinian residents."
Price Tag graffiti and burnt cars were also found Wednesday morning in a Palestinian village south of Nablus, and on Tuesday 11 settlers were attacked upon entering a different village in the same area.
After Tuesday's events in Qusra, seven suspects were arrested, of which four are minors.
The confrontation broke out between settlers and Palestinians at the Eish Kodesh settlement in Samaria, after an illegal structure was evacuated and destroyed. The sides threw stones, and the quarrel made its way into the Palestinian village Qusra.
30 fruit trees cut down in Arab city, three men arrested in Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi next to house of senior appointee for issuing destruction orders
A radical West Bank settlers attack occurred late Thursday night, and another one was prevented, adding to the arrests police made on similar events that took place this past week.
The latest crime happened at a garden center next to Kfar Qassem, where 30 fruit trees were cut down with a sign next to them saying "Regards Eish Kodesh," referring to the Samarian region settlement whose settlers were attacked near the Palestinian village of Qusra.
Workers in the garden center arrived Friday morning at the scene and called police. The Rosh Ha'ayin unit is investigating.
In another event, before dawn, three men from the Samaria region and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank were arrested in the religious Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi.
The three are suspected of trying to conspire against a Civil Administration representative who lives on the kibbutz, in an attempt to damage his car. Police arrested them and found gas cans, and pictures of demolished buildings in Jewish settlements in Samaria.
The arrest happened around 3 am when a security member of the kibbutz saw them near the Civil Administration worker's property. He's responsible in part for handing out building permits for settlements in Samaria. Police also say that he's responsible for issuing demolition orders for illegal buildings.
"We don't know exactly what the three men's intentions were, whether to damage his car or his house," the security guard at the kibbutz said. "But we did find in their car gas cans and signs condemning the demolition of houses in the territories."
The three, residents of Talmon and Shadmot Mehola, aged 19-23, were investigated at the Beit Shean police station. They were in court Friday morning in Nazareth for a remand hearing.
The administrator of the kibbutz said that there were many Civil Administration workers living there, and none has been threatened before due to the work.
Prior to the latest events, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke out against the alleged misbehavior.
"The unacceptable phenomenon named Price Tag is terror in every sense and we are working against its perpetrators with zero tolerance and great determination," he said.
"We will not allow extremist groups to take control – against the law – of lands that do not belong to them and to threaten Palestinian residents."
Price Tag graffiti and burnt cars were also found Wednesday morning in a Palestinian village south of Nablus, and on Tuesday 11 settlers were attacked upon entering a different village in the same area.
After Tuesday's events in Qusra, seven suspects were arrested, of which four are minors.
The confrontation broke out between settlers and Palestinians at the Eish Kodesh settlement in Samaria, after an illegal structure was evacuated and destroyed. The sides threw stones, and the quarrel made its way into the Palestinian village Qusra.
The settlers' arrest in Qusra
Eleven settlers entered the village and were attacked, they say, by a group of Palestinians. The Palestinians said that the group of settlers attacked a teenager, injuring him in the head. Only after that did a group of Palestinians come and grab the settlers, they claim.
The Jews escaped, running away into an empty structure between the villages Qusra and Karyut. The Palestinians then flanked the house
The Palestinians held the settlers hostage inside the village, but after a short period of time the IDF arrived and removed the settlers. Local members of Rabbis for Human Rights intervened and acted as a human shield for the settlers until security forces arrived to break up the altercation.
Eleven settlers entered the village and were attacked, they say, by a group of Palestinians. The Palestinians said that the group of settlers attacked a teenager, injuring him in the head. Only after that did a group of Palestinians come and grab the settlers, they claim.
The Jews escaped, running away into an empty structure between the villages Qusra and Karyut. The Palestinians then flanked the house
The Palestinians held the settlers hostage inside the village, but after a short period of time the IDF arrived and removed the settlers. Local members of Rabbis for Human Rights intervened and acted as a human shield for the settlers until security forces arrived to break up the altercation.
8 jan 2014
Groups of extremist settlers are preparing to carry out violent and reprisal attacks against the Palestinian residents in the West Bank.
According to Israeli media outlets, Israeli security sources warned of settler attacks on Palestinian villages and cities, claiming that the Israeli Army would stand up and prevent the settlers from attacking the Palestinians.
In a related context, a group of settlers stormed on Tuesday the village of Qusra, south of Nablus and clashed with the Qusra residents.
The Israeli Police arrested seven settlers and took them for interrogation.
According to Israeli media outlets, Israeli security sources warned of settler attacks on Palestinian villages and cities, claiming that the Israeli Army would stand up and prevent the settlers from attacking the Palestinians.
In a related context, a group of settlers stormed on Tuesday the village of Qusra, south of Nablus and clashed with the Qusra residents.
The Israeli Police arrested seven settlers and took them for interrogation.
On Tuesday Palestinian villagers from Qusra in Nablus area, held 18 settlers captive after they had tried to uproot olive trees belonging to the villagers. The settlers were later trasfered to Israeli Occupation Forces.
The settler were surrounded by the villagers while destroying village property, clashes broke out and the villagers managed to hold the settlers and call for the Palestinian Security Service who transfered the settlers to the Israeli Occupation Forces.
The attack took place after the Israeli Administration demolished a building in the illegal outpost of Yesh Kodesh.
Amos Harel writes in Haaretz that the attack from the settlers were predictable and that ”this highlights the security services’ impotency in addressing violence by the extreme right.”
Amos Harel predicts a rize in these price tag attacks, where extreme right wing israeli settlers attack and vandilize Palestinian property in response to any decision that might slow down the settlement expansions on the West Bank.
”The more progress U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry makes toward an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, and the more reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering major concessions in the talks, the more such acts will happen.”
The settler were surrounded by the villagers while destroying village property, clashes broke out and the villagers managed to hold the settlers and call for the Palestinian Security Service who transfered the settlers to the Israeli Occupation Forces.
The attack took place after the Israeli Administration demolished a building in the illegal outpost of Yesh Kodesh.
Amos Harel writes in Haaretz that the attack from the settlers were predictable and that ”this highlights the security services’ impotency in addressing violence by the extreme right.”
Amos Harel predicts a rize in these price tag attacks, where extreme right wing israeli settlers attack and vandilize Palestinian property in response to any decision that might slow down the settlement expansions on the West Bank.
”The more progress U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry makes toward an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, and the more reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering major concessions in the talks, the more such acts will happen.”
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