WEST BANK: Jewish settlers blame U.S. President Barack Obama for surge in Palestinian attacks

Record ID: 560153

  • Title: WEST BANK: Jewish settlers blame U.S. President Barack Obama for surge in Palestinian attacks
  • Date: 21st March 2010
  • Summary: GUSH ETZION JUNCTION, WEST BANK (MARCH 20, 2010) (REUTERS) ***NIGHT SHOTS*** TENS OF JEWISH SETTLERS STANDING IN WEST BANK JUNCTION, PROTESTING AGAINST WHAT THEY CALL "OBAMA'S INTIFADA", LATEST CLASHES BETWEEN PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELI SECURITY FORCES ISRAELI POLICEMEN AT SCENE SETTLER HOLDING SIGN READING 'CRUSH THE OBAMA INTIFADA' VARIOUS OF SETTLERS HOLDING BANNERS READING 'BARAK HUSSEIN OBAMA - NO YOU CANT' , AND ISRAELI FLAG READING 'DONT TREAD ON ME' (SOUNDBITE) (English) SETTLEMENT ACTIVIST NADIA MATAR SAYING: "President Hussein Barack Obama has over the last few weeks and days shown his true face, and has had the goal and "Hutzpah" as we call it here to tell Jews that they can't even build in Jerusalem, our capital for over thousands of years. And because of Barack's incitement against the Jewish people, the Arabs now are raising their heads and have started again in renewed attacks on Jews, against Jews, stone throwing. Tens of people, Jews, were stoned over the last few days by Arab stone throwers and we have come to the conclusion that we can not be quiet when this happens." MORE OF SETTLERS HOLDING ISRAELI FLAGS SETTLERS HOLDING BANNERS WOMAN HOLDING ORANGE FLAG READING 'THE LAND OF ISRAEL TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL' SETTLER SINGING, WAVING ISRAELI FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) SHLOMO, EFRAT SETTLEMENT RESIDENT, SAYING: "At the moment all the settlers are waiting, and we have patience and we don't want to do anything and we wait and wait. But the moment they have already started to injure people, two people were already injured and everything, than it means that this can not stay one sided and we will get into things, and we will also start to make a mess. We don't want to get there, we want to live in peace and quiet." MORE OF PROTEST ROAD SIGN POINTING TO THE WEST BANK CITY OF HEBRON, AND THE SETTLEMENT OF KIRYAT ARBA
  • Embargoed: 5th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA17IBNIMA8M64476HIGKL474ID
  • Story Text: A group of Jewish settlers demonstrated in a West Bank junction late on Saturday (March 20), protesting what they see as a surge in Palestinian attacks on Israeli vehicles travelling in the West Bank, and blaming U.S. President Barack Obama.
    According to the settlers, who held signs reading "Crush the Obama Intifada" and "Barak Hussein Obama - No You Can't", the US President's harsh reaction to the latest Israeli announcement of new housing units in East jerusalem, equalled to incitement against Jews.
    "President Hussein Barack Obama has over the last few weeks and days shown his true face, and has had the goal and "Hutzpah" as we call it here to tell Jews that they can't even build in Jerusalem, our capital for over thousands of years. And because of Barack's incitement against the Jewish people, the Arabs now are raising their heads and have started again in renewed attacks on Jews, against Jews, stone throwing. Tens of people, Jews, were stoned over the last few days by Arab stone throwers and we have come to the conclusion that we can not be quiet when this happens," settlement activist Nadia Matar told Reuters Television in Gush Etzion.
    Israeli military spokesperson reported that 39 incidents of rock throwing and hurling of molotov cocktails towards military personnel and civilians were counted this week. The number includes only attacks in which hits of Israelis were identified or damage were caused, and the actual number of incidents is much higher, the spokesperson said.
    "At the moment all the settlers are waiting, and we have patience and we don't want to do anything and we wait and wait. But the moment they have already started to injure people, two people were already injured and everything, than it means that this can not stay one sided and we will get into things, and we will also start to make a mess. We don't want to get there, we want to live in peace and quiet," another settler said during the night protest.
    The demonstration coincided with a two-day visit by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the region, in an effort to re-launch stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
    On Saturday, Ban called on Israel and the Palestinians to restart negotiations, and also called on the Jewish state to stop settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying the holy city should be the capital for both Israel and a future Palestinian state.
    Palestinians, protesting Israel's settlement policy, clashed with Israeli troops near the West Bank city of Nablus. A 16-year-old Palestinian was killed in the violence.
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a limited, 10-month freeze on settlement building in the West Bank in November. But the moratorium did not include territory it captured in a 1967 war and annexed to Jerusalem.
    The Jewish state sees all of Jerusalem as its capital, a claim that has not won international recognition.
    The latest obstacle to the peace talks came last week when Israel announced, during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, that it would build 1,600 new housing units in a part of Jerusalem it had annexed unilaterally.
    The announcement angered Washington and, under pressure, Netanyahu proposed mutual confidence-building measures by Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
    The ideas were welcomed by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, but she did not give details of what they included.
    In an incident that could further raise tensions, a Palestinian youth was killed and another seriously wounded during a clash with Israeli troops in the West Bank, Palestinian hospital officials said.
    The youths had been at a protest in which Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers. Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses said 16-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim was killed by Israeli gunfire.
    The Israeli military said the soldiers did not fire live ammunition, but used riot control weapons such as tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the Palestinians who were approaching a nearby Jewish settlement.
    Ban is scheduled to meet Israeli leaders on Sunday (March 21) and also said he would cross into the Gaza Strip, which is under blockade by Israel and Egypt.
    END
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