December 4, 2008 (LPAC)--Israeli fascist settlers ran riot in the West Bank City of Hebron and clashed with both Israeli police and military personal and Palestinians. Clashes between settlers and Palestinians also occurred in other parts of the West Bank. The riots mark a major escalation by Israel's own fascist movement aimed at derailing whatever progress has been made in Israeli-Palestinian relations and paving the way for a victory by Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.
Riots began when, under orders from Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the Israeli army and policy forcibly evacuated 250 settlers from a house in Hebron's old city. The settlers had claimed they purchased the house, which was denied by the owners, and forcibly removed the Palestinian residents several weeks ago. Barak's order to evacuate the house was the result of a high court ruling demanding the settlers leave or be evacuated. After weeks of fruitless negotiations and provocations by the settlers, Barak ordered the evacuation. The rioting was mostly by youths who are mostly not only the ideological, but the biological second and third generation of settlers. In video clips, the 60 year old rabbis from the first generation of settlers could be seen mobilizing the settler youth.
After the evacuation the settlers began rioting including attack Palestinians. Several settlers fired guns at Palestinians seriously wounding at least 5 Palestinians. As of this writing some Palestinians returned fire. Shortly after the evacuation, clashes moved to other areas in the West Bank where rioting was reported near Qalqilya, Hebron and Ramallah. There are reports that the Israeli military is not intervening forcefully enough to prevent Israeli rioters from attacking Palestinians. The military has declared the southern half of the West Bank a closed military area.
Following his order to evacuate the house, Barak told a news conference as reported in Ha'aretz, "What was tested today was the ability of the state to enforce its laws and its essence upon its citizens. Before we acted, I did what was required from a responsible leadership - I spoke with Rabbis from the West Bank and with members of the Jewish community in Hebron so as to carry out the High Court's decision in order to prevent use of force," Barak continued.
Minister Eli Yishai, of the rightwing Shas party attacked Barak claiming he "acted in complete disregard of the law and threw people out of their homes." This is the same Shas party which Israeli political observers say will be entering a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, if the latter wins the elections. Other rightwing "settler" parties also attacked Barak and the government.
