Israeli settlers hit back against Palestinians after army demolishes their West Bank homes

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Written by Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem
Published: 01 March 2011 01 March 2011
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Call for a 'day of rage' as hardliners attack Palestinian villages and block roads in Jerusalem

Palestinian-israeli-settlers-attack A Palestinian woman displays a burnt mattress and other damage allegedly caused by Jewish settlers after a petrol bomb was thrown into her house in the West Bank village of Hiwwara near Nablus. Photograph: Abed Omar Qusini/Reuters

Hardline Israeli settlers have called for a "day of rage" on Thursday in protest at the army's demolition of an outpost in the West Bank. Settlers also launched attacks on Palestinian villages and blocked main roads in Jerusalem.

Havat Gilad, a hilltop settlement near Nablus built without government authorisation, was destroyed early on Monday, sparking clashes between activists and soldiers, in which the army fired rubber bullets and teargas canisters. The outpost's occupants vowed to rebuild the settlement.

Later, hardline settlers burned tyres and blocked roads in Jerusalem and smashed the windscreens of Palestinian cars in the West Bank. Homes and cars in two Palestinian villages were attacked on Tuesday in what settlers described as "price tag" action in retaliation for Israeli government measures against settlements.

Flyers calling for further action on Thursday were distributed. They urged a "day of rage following the pogrom on Havat Gilad and the ongoing destruction on the hilltops … no more silence".

Demolition of the outpost follows international pressure on the Israeli government to curb settlement building, to encourage a resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians. A UN security council resolution condemning settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem won the support of 14 out of 15 countries, including the UK. The US used its veto for the first time under President Barack Obama to block the resolution.

The Israeli government decided this week to dismantle all unauthorised outposts built on privately-owned Palestinian land, in a move which is likely to spark further clashes. However, it will simultaneously begin moves to make official unauthorised outposts built on West Bank land under Israeli control. All settlements in occupied territory are illegal under international law.

An Israeli soldier who lives at the Havat Gilad outpost held a press conference in Jerusalem to say that he would not return to military duty. "The [Israeli Defence Forces] sent troops to destroy my home and to shoot at my friends," he said. "I do not intend to return to the army until I finish rebuilding the ruins." The IDF said it viewed his actions as grave.

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