If I worked for AP, that’s what I’d put as the title to this article. Why? Because that’s exactly what happened (emphasis added).
Dozens of Jewish settlers rioted Tuesday in the West Bank town of Hebron, clashing with the Israeli troops who guard them but who may also soon evict them from a disputed building they’ve occupied.
In two villages elsewhere in the West Bank, Palestinians said groups of settlers burned animal feed and slashed tires in what appeared to be part of a broader tactic meant to deter Israeli authorities from dismantling unauthorized settlements or attempting to rein settlers in.
Israeli soldiers used stun grenades against the Hebron settlers, most of them teenagers, in clashes near a building which settlers took over early last year.
The building’s ownership is under dispute in a Jerusalem court. But the settlers moved in without government authorization and the Supreme Court has ordered them to leave immediately.
On Monday evening, rumors were circulating that the Israeli military would evict the settlers by force and hundreds of extremists flocked to the site to help resist eviction. No attempt was made to evacuate the building.
The military says rioters broke windows of cars and homes and defaced a Muslim cemetery in the area near the house. Settlers in several other locations in the West Bank also blocked roads and threw stones at Palestinian cars.
This behaviour isn’t just a chance happening, but part of an organized effort to stop the Israeli government from taking them to task and to stop the Palestinians from keeping the pressure on.
In recent months some West Bank settlers have pioneered a policy they term the “price tag,” in which they attack Palestinians and security forces in response to any attempt to evacuate unauthorized settlements.
In other words, if anyone tries to shut down their illegal activity, the criminals will attack them.
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