Killings throw spotlight on settlers

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA (BAHRAIN), JULY 21. The killing of a three-month-old Palestinian baby and his two adult relatives, apparently by a group of Jewish extremists, has brought the settler question into the spotlight just at the moment when Israel is under pressure following the G- 8 call for the posting of third party monitors.

Israel has strongly condemned this attack but the Palestinians have been given the opportunity to reverse the tide of invectives that has been directed against their leadership over the past 10 months.

The baby and his two uncles were killed and four other relatives injured when their car was fired upon near their village south of Hebron on Thursday night. They were buried yesterday with the huge crowd that had gathered for the funeral threatening a blood bath in vengeance.

According to some agency reports, witnesses to the killings saw the attackers' vehicle drive past an Israeli security post unhindered. A group calling itself the Committee for Road Safety claimed responsibility for the attack. Safety on the roads between their settlements and Israel proper is an issue for the settlers and this particular group is believed to have been quite active for a while.

Israel has promised that it will apprehend and punish ``to the full extent of the law'' the perpetrators of this crime. But policemen are reported to have said that investigations will be very complicated and this is bound to rouse Palestinian suspicions. The Palestinians believe, and to go by the record, not without good reason, that the Israeli justice system treats lightly even the civilians who use violence against Palestinians. If the perpetrators of the Thursday incident are not apprehended soon, there is reason to fear that the threats of revenge attacks, including suicide bombings, will become real.

The Israeli Government could have done without focus being placed on the settlers at this juncture. Its policy of expanding settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has come in for near- universal condemnation. Now, there is a high probability that the nature of the settlement problem will be studied in greater depth. Reports in Israel's left-wing media have already outlined how many of the settlers represent some of the most anti-social trends in the Jewish diaspora. Because of the subsidised housing and benefits offered to those willing to live in the settlements they have attracted a disproportionate number of misfits and losers. The settler movement is also closely linked to the most radical religious tendencies in Israel's Jewish community.

Despite the statements of condemnation from the Israeli leadership, the Palestinians have not missed the opportunity to pay Israel back in the same coin. Since the beginning of the current uprising, Israel has accused Palestinian Authority President, Mr. Yasser Arafat, of having master-minded and/or ordered terrorist attacks on Israel.

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Section  : International
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