Settler violence against Palestinians on the rise

HEBRON (IRIN) - Violence by settlers perpetrated against Palestinians has been on the rise in recent weeks in Hebron and the surrounding areas, residents and international observers said."These areas are hot spots for violence and are priority areas for us," said Matteo Benatti, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross's delegation in the city.

He was referring to H2, the part of Hebron under Israeli control, and the rural southern part of the district, also mostly under Israel's jurisdiction, according to the Oslo accords of the 1990s with the Palestinians.
"Day and night, night and day, it makes no difference, the settlers always abuse us," said Jamal, a Palestinian refugee in his mid-40s.
Given the city's violent history and perpetual troubles, the settlement in the middle of a Palestinian urban area, not surprisingly, attracts radical figures, some from France and the US who migrated to Israel, who seem attracted to the friction.

Many of the settlers are armed and wield their rifles openly, taking Palestinians in their sights."Inside, inside," muttered a Palestinian mother from the neighborhood of Wadi Hussein, as she pushed her young daughters indoors.
A moment earlier, armed youngsters from the Kiryat Arba settlement had thrown rocks and stones at the children playing outside, just after nightfall.

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