West Bank Settlers Preparing For War

Israeli riot police officers met resistance on Tuesday as they removed Jewish settlers from illegal residences in the West Bank city of Hebron. As one settler was carried off near the market, an officer rushed to pick up the man’s glasses from the ground. Rina Castelnuovo for The New York Times

Settlers Preparing For War, Says Shin Bet Chief
-- Haaretz

A government decision to evacuate more territory may lead to a large-scale violent conflict with settlers, complete with live fire, Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin warned at yesterday's cabinet meeting. The meeting ended with the ministers voting to end all government support, both direct and indirect, for illegal outposts.

"The scope of the conflict will be much larger than it is today and than it was during the disengagement," Diskin warned. "Our investigation found a very high willingness among this public to use violence - not just stones, but live weapons - in order to prevent or halt a diplomatic process."

While Diskin did not comment explicitly on the danger of another political assassination, the timing of his warning - just days before the anniversary of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination - was not lost on cabinet members. "They [the settlers] don't think like us. Their thought is messianic, mystic, satanic and irrational," Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said, warning of another political assassination.

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My Comment: Religious fanatics fighting against Palestinian fanatics .... hmmmmmm .... too much to hope for.