Police are investigating a pamphlet widely circulated in the West Bank that gives Jewish settlers detailed instructions on how to perpetrate violence against Palestinians and cast the blame on security forces.
The inquiry was ordered by Attorney General Yosef Harish on Thursday, weeks after the anonymous pamphlets first appeared and only after Harish was approached by Knesset member Ran Cohen of the Citizens Rights Movement who read about them in the press.
The pamphlet is professionally written, indicating the author is familiar with security matters.
It instructs settlers how to get weapons, how to hide the traces of shooting them and how to mislead the security forces. Settlers are advised to store ammunition and explosives, preferably the kind likely to be stolen from the army.
The pamphlet suggests that some ammunition the army uses for training should be stockpiled for “Israel’s security needs.”
Settlers are encouraged to take individual action against Arab targets, which the official security forces fail to do for fear of “political and media pressures.”
They are advised to wear military uniforms so that responsibility for the action will point to the Israel Defense Force.
The pamphlet also advises settlers that if caught, to behave like prisoners of war, answering no questions and – not cooperating with their interrogators.
The pamphlet was roundly condemned in the Knesset by right-wing as well as left-wing members.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
