Israel removes Hebron protesters

[DaSangarTalib]

Dozens of Israeli police have started removing Jewish non-residents in the West Bank city of Hebron after violent protests at a planned eviction.
The Israeli military had set a deadline for them to leave earlier on Tuesday.

Nine settler families have been squatting in Palestinian buildings in the city's market since 2001, when a Palestinian gunman killed a baby

Israel's High Court had ordered troops to evacuate the families by 15 January because they did not own the buildings.

The settlers claim Jews owned plots in the market before the creation of Israel in 1948.

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights are widely considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

'Decisive action'

The Israeli military set up road blocks and told non-residents to leave Hebron by 1000 local time (0800 GMT) or risk arrest.

The deadline came after Israeli Central Command head Gen Yair Naveh issued an order on Monday declaring the Jewish settlement there a closed military zone.

But more than 100 non-resident protestors defied the deadline to leave.

Police in riot gear then swept through the settlement and detained a number of youths continuing the protests after a brief scuffle.

Settlers watching the raid shouted insults at the police.

"Vultures," one woman said.

Israel's acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has instructed security forces to act "decisively" towards the protestors, and to show no forgiveness or tolerance to those who used violence.

The unrest presents Mr Olmert with one of his first major challenges in government.

'Tragedy'

The chairman of the leading organisation representing Jewish settlers, the Yesha Council, has urged Hebron resident settlers to "cast out" the protestors.

Bentzi Lieberman said the protestors' "acts of vandalism" had alienated the Israeli public and overshadowed legitimate claims in Hebron.

"This is the tragedy," Mr Lieberman told Israeli Army Radio.

"I say to my friends in Hebron that they must do everything to cast out those youths that are in fact undermining and nullifying any possibility of hearing those very justified arguments," he added.

"No way should rocks be thrown at IDF soldiers, nor eggs, nor to curse them. We condemn these acts. We believe they cause harm to the settlement enterprise."

Mr Lieberman said such violence could lead to the settlers being likened to Palestinians who throw stones at Israeli forces.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and has since settled about 400,000 Jews in the territories.

Hebron, where several hundred hardline settlers live in the midst of a Palestinian population of more than 100,000 people, has been a flashpoint for violence in the past.

Brought to you by yo Official Newzreporter!...Stay tuned for mo news