Some Jewish residents of the West Bank went on a rampage after an illegal outpost near Hebron was evacuated.
The outpost known as Federman’s Farm, inhabited for the past two years by right-wing activist Noam Federman, his wife and their nine children living in a caravan, was evacuated early Sunday by the Israeli army and border police.
Following the evacuation, settlers allegedly slashed the tires of Palestinian cars in Hebron and smashed the windows of several homes. Arab graves were painted with anti-Arab and anti-Muslim epithets.
Right-wing activists in interviews on Israel Radio and Army Radio called for revenge on the evacuators.
“Whoever speaks out against IDF soldiers belongs in jail and in judicial proceedings,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting. “We will show no tolerance towards such expressions and actions. We are sick of this verbal violence which either leads to, or affects, other violence. We know this from the past. In no way will I allow this to continue in the future, and we will see to it that it stops forthwith.”
Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Cabinet that Jewish right-wing extremists get off too lightly.
“I stress the seriousness of the statements and activity of the extreme right in the territories,” Barak said. “I believe the punishments are too soft and that the legal systems should focus on this.”
Danny Dayan, the head of the settlers’ Yesha Council, condemned the threats.
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