- Title: WEST BANK: Israeli police clash with Jewish settlers in West Bank.
- Date: 31st October 2008
- Summary: MASKED JEWISH TEENAGE SETTLER APPROACHING JOURNALISTS
- Embargoed: 15th November 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVA9ZTX87J0RV170524GDMYIKSCX
- Story Text: Violence continues in the West Bank after Israeli army and police scuffled with Jewish settlers during evacuation of an illegal outpost. An AFP photographer is wounded by settlers throwing stones, as they try to rebuild the outpost.
Jewish settlers clashed with Israeli police and army forces who attempted to demolish an illegal outpost near the West Bank town of Hebron on Friday (October 31).
Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said that four policemen were lightly injured in scuffles with over a hundred settlers. Israeli media reports that three teenage girls were held for questioning after the event.
Witnesses quoted in Israeli media said that the soldiers were about to leave the outpost, first evacuated on October 26, after demolishing a structure, when Jewish settlers arrived at the site. Scuffles between settlers and police broke out, and settlers said police used unreasonable force in their evacuation, resulting in the injuring of several people.
Israeli media also said that settlers damaged Palestinian property after the event.
On October 26, the Israeli army first evacuated the outpost, near the Kiryat Arba settlement, where they scuffled with settlers. Soon after at least two structures in the outpost were rebuilt.
The makeshift farm demolished in the early hours of Friday (October 31) was built by Noam Federman, a hardline settler leader.
Hours later, masked Jewish settlers threw stones at Palestinian photographers near the Hebron, striking one of them in the head.
A video shot by settlers later showed a group of settlers, including right wing activist Nadia Matar, holding a ceremony and laying the corner stone to rebuild the demolished outpost.
Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who resigned last month over a corruption scandal, condemned settlers who incited violence against Israeli soldiers and policemen and vowed to bring them to justice.
A U.S.-sponsored "road map" for peace, reaffirmed at the Annapolis summit last year that relaunched Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, calls on Israel to freeze all settlement activity on land Palestinians want for a state. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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