Medics said 18 Israelis and seven Palestinians were hurt in the violence. The clashes took place near Hebron's "House of Contention," where settlers have been holed up in defiance of a Supreme Court eviction notice...IDF officials described the severity of the settlers' riots as 'unprecedented.' They said the violent clashes were initiated by the settlers and not by the Palestinians, who only responded by throwing rocks.Israeli security officials are planning a large operation to evict the settlers from Beit Hameriva, but they decline to state when that operation will be, for fear of allowing the settlers enough preparation time to prepare a defense against the IDF.
It is also worthwhile to note that an Israeli parliament member (Member of Knesset) is currently living in the House of Contention, which illustrates the political support right wing settlers enjoy and explains why their activities are referred to as "protests" in some newspapers, and "riots" in others. Many of you have asked me why violent settlers are not punished for their continued violence, and I offer this as only one reason why. Violent settlers are a very small minority of the Israeli people, and yet they enjoy tremendous power.
For another post I wrote on this curious phenomenon, go here.
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