Israeli military base attacked by Jewish extremists in West Bank

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Written by Phoebe Greenwood in Jerusalem Phoebe Greenwood in Jerusalem

Published: 13 December 2011 13 December 2011

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Israeli military base attacked by Jewish extremists in West Bank

Attack came hours after settlers stormed monument as some say 'homegrown terrorism' is now greatest threat to security


Jewish protesters gain access to Qasar al-Yahud baptism site on the Jordanian border. Link to this video
A gang of 50 Jewish settlers and rightwing activists have broken into an army base near the Israeli settlement of Kedumim in the West bank, setting fire to tyres and hurling rocks at both Israeli soldiers and Palestinians.
One settler forced open the door of a jeep carrying the Efraim Regional Brigade's commander, who was hit in the head with a rock and suffered minor injuries. Soldiers managed to force the group back outside the base after several minutes but by the time Israeli police arrived at the scene, most of the attackers had fled. Only two were arrested.
The attack is the latest in a wave of violent retributions exacted by extremist Jewish settler groups against Palestinians and the Israeli Defence Forces in response to government policy to evacuate illegal outposts in the West Bank. A spokesperson for the Israeli military said it was the most serious assault on its forces by Jewish activists to date.
Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, described the incident as "homegrown terror", which he warned would not be tolerated. "We will capture those responsible and they will stand trial," he vowed. "They endangered lives and their actions threaten to damage the delicate relations Israel has with its neighbours."
Hours after the attack, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu called an emergency meeting to address the mounting threat posed by extremists. "The situation is intolerable," he told assembled ministers. "We must take care of these rioters with a firm hand. We will not tolerate a situation in which IDF officers and soldiers are attacked and distracted from protecting Israeli citizens."
The attack at Efraim took place just hours after 17 members of an extreme settler movement, the Hill Top Youth, stormed a religious monument on the border with Jordan. The group cut through a barbed-wire fence surrounding marking a closed military zone and seized the Qasr al-Yahud church, thought to be the site of Jesus's baptism by Saint John. Two minors were released and 15 other activists were detained for questioning by Israeli police.
They were protesting against Jordanian involvement in the ongoing debate over the Mughrabi Bridge, which leads from the Western Wall to the Temple Mount but was deemed unsafe and closed by the Jerusalem municipality this week.
Jordan has warned Israel that it should not make any changes to the bridge without first consulting Palestinian authorities. The settlers were warning Jordan not to involve themselves in matters concerning the Temple Mount.
While the rabbinate in Jerusalem has not yet commented on Tuesday's attacks, several senior rabbis warn they are indicative of a rise in religious extremism that threatens to destroy the Zionisit movement in Israel. In a similar attack in September, extremists broke into an Israeli army base near Nablus and cut the cables of 12 army vehicles.

Mosheh Lichtenstein, a prominent Israeli rabbi, claims this surge in violence can be understood as an expression of mounting frustration with a government decisions to withdraw from sections of Judea and Samaria but is both immoral and counter-productive.
"We believe we have a right to be here but that right must be won through moral means," Lichtenstein said. "I am very concerned by this violence, which runs against Jewish ethics."
Yaakov Peri, formerly head of the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet, says that moral judgments aside, unless dramatic actions is taken by the the government, army and intelligence to address this trend, extreme settler groups may drive Israel towards religious conflict. For this reason, he claims Jewish extremists now pose a greater threat to Israeli security than terrorism.
"An active terrorist is relatively easy for intelligence forces to find and stop. But when you are burning a mosque or cutting down olive trees, using weapons bought from any grocery store, it makes the job of the intelligence services much more complicated", he said. "[This violence] is becoming so extreme and so dangerous I am afraid it will become a religious war."

Record number of Palestinians displaced by demolitions as Quartet continues to talk

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Written by Amnesty International Amnesty International

Published: 13 December 2011 13 December 2011

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Press Release

13 December 2011

Record number of Palestinians displaced by demolitions as Quartet continues to talk

Israeli authorities have stepped up unlawful demolitions in the West Bank including East Jerusalem over the past year, displacing a record number of Palestinian families from their homes, an international coalition of 20 leading aid agencies and human rights groups said today.

The statement comes as the Middle East Quartet meets in Jerusalem in its latest effort to revive peace talks.

The sharp rise in demolitions in 2011 has been accompanied by accelerated expansion of Israeli settlements and an escalation of violence perpetrated by settlers, the groups said.

The humanitarian and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam International, are calling for the Quartet to hold all parties to the conflict to their international law obligations. The Quartet must, therefore, press the Israeli government to immediately reverse its settlement policies and freeze all demolitions that violate international law.

“The increasing rate of settlement expansion and house demolitions is pushing Palestinians to the brink, destroying their livelihoods and prospects for a just and durable peace. There is a growing disconnect between the Quartet talks and the situation on the ground. The Quartet needs to radically revise its approach and show that it can make a real difference to the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.” said Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International.

The evidence of rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground includes:

• Doubling the number of people displaced by demolitions: Since the beginning of the year more than 500 Palestinian homes, wells, rainwater harvesting cisterns, and other essential structures have been destroyed in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, displacing more than 1,000 Palestinians, UN figures show. This is more than double the number of people displaced over the same period in 2010, and the highest figure since at least 2005.[1] More than half of those displaced have been children for whom the loss of their home is particularly devastating.

• Accelerating settlement expansion: Plans for around 4,000 new settler housing units have been approved in East Jerusalem over the past 12 months - the highest number since at least 2006, according to Peace Now.[2] In November, moreover, Israel announced plans to speed up construction of 2,000 new units in the West Bank including East Jerusalem.

• Sharp increase in settler violence: violent attacks by settlers against Palestinians have escalated by over 50% in 2011 compared to 2010, and by over 160% compared to 2009, the UN reports. 2011 has seen by far the most settler violence since at least 2005. Settlers have also destroyed or damaged nearly 10,000 Palestinian olive and other trees during this year, undermining the livelihoods of hundreds of families.[3] The perpetrators act with virtual impunity, with over 90% of complaints of settler violence closed by the Israeli police without indictment in 2005-2010.[4]

• Impending threat of forced displacement of Bedouin: Up to 2,300 Bedouin living in the Jerusalem periphery could be forcibly and unlawfully relocated if Israeli authorities follow through with their reported plans in 2012, which would destroy their livelihoods and threaten their traditional way of life. Rural communities in the Jordan Valley are also facing the prospect of further demolitions as settlements continue to expand.

“The Quartet should call ongoing settlement expansion and house demolitions what they are: violations of international humanitarian law that Israel should stop,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

“Israel’s escalating violations show the fundamental failure of the Quartet’s approach. It’s time for the Quartet to understand that they cannot contribute to achieving a just and durable solution to the conflict without first ensuring respect for international law,” said Phillip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Interim Programme Director, Amnesty International.

Notes to the editor:

[1] Latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

[2] Data from the Israeli organisation Peace Now.

[3] Latest figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

[4] Yesh Din, Law Enforcement upon Israeli Civilians in the West Bank, February 2011.

CONTACT:

For more information and to arrange interviews with spokespeople please contact:

James Lynch at Amnesty International This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +44 20 7413 5511; or

Martin Konecny at Crisis Action This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +32 484 601 283

INTERVIEWEES:

The following people are available for interview:

Representatives of aid agencies and human rights organisations in Jerusalem, New York, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Dublin and Cairo.

External interviewees: The following external experts are available to discuss the issues highlighted in the press release:

- Izzat Zeidan, Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee, Ramallah

- Shawan Jabarin, Al Haq, Ramallah

- Hila Aloni and/or Firas Alami, Yesh Din, Tel Aviv

- Sarit Michaeli, B’Tselem, Jerusalem

- Salwa Daibis, Women’s Center for Legal Aid & Counselling, Ramallah

No miracle yesterday in Nabi Saleh: Mustafa Tamimi murdered

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Written by Linah Alsaafin Linah Alsaafin

Published: 13 December 2011 13 December 2011

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They killed you, Mustafa. My insides crumple. You, in front of me. My tears are drawn from the depth of my wounded soul. You were engaged to be married. You were wanted by the army because of who you are: a Palestinian who resists the occupation he directly suffers from. I think of your father being denied a permit to be with you, of your mother who had to be granted permission by them to see you in the hospital. I think of your quiet, sardonic expression.

Your screaming sister. Your blood. Your murderers’ smiles.

Read more on the Electronic Intifada

Dear Newt

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Written by Naomi Shihab Nye Naomi Shihab Nye

Published: 13 December 2011 13 December 2011

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"Here is my morning poem, which turned out to be for the horrible Newt, who insults the
lizard newts, which are obviously of a higher intelligence."

Dear Newt

It is possible you are not invented yet,
you are just a phantom,
and tonight when you go home
someone else will be living in your house
because they couldn’t see you. Maybe they
will already have taken over your Tiffany’s
account and bank account and put it
in their own name. Would that hurt?
Not much, because you’re not real. You don’t have
a memory, a history, a simple human honor –
I am here, I was born in this place, these are my people
and my trees, my horizon and my water, my hope,
my children, the sound of my birds, my future.
Since you don’t have a future,
why would anyone vote for you?
Signed, The Palestinians.

By Naomi Shihab Nye