Settlers plan to take over more homes in East Jerusalem, with government help

Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, has warned that settlers in East Jerusalem intend to take over more houses in Palestinian neighborhoods and drive out their residents.

The plans were proclaimed by their leader Aryeh King, in an interview with Hagai Segal - a past militant of the extremist 'Jewish Underground' which once intended to blow up the mosques on Temple Mount, and at present a columnist in the extreme-right paper 'Makor Rishon'.

According to King, the settlers intend to take over 'very soon' four houses at Beit Hanina, and further take over two additional houses in Sheikh Jarrah "at the appropriate operational timing".

Gush Shalon said: "Only a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister's bureau issued a protest against Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, who stated that Israel intends to Judaize East Jerusalem and dispossess its Palestinians residents. If the government helps Aryeh King and his settler friends implement their new design, it will have itself provided a conclusive proof for the veracity of Abbas' words, for the whole world to see."

In letters sent to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of Public Security Aharonovitch Gush Shalom stated: "The settlers, by themselves, do not have the force needed to invade Palestinian homes in the night, throw the residents into the street, establish themselves in the house and turn it into an armed enclave, surrounded by barbed wire. The settlers can only carry out such an abomination if the Israeli police, with the approval of the political echelon, does the dirty work for them - sending hundreds of police officers to physically carry out the expulsions and afterwards stand guard day and night over the settlers in the seized houses.

"Whoever gives the authorization shall be responsible for the consequences, which might be severe. The situation in the Occupied Territories is volatile, and any spark can cause a conflagration. What did not take place in September last year, despite all the nightmare scenarios which were elaborated at the time, may well occur on the day after the expulsion of Palestinians from their Jerusalem homes and the entry of settlers in their place. "

For more information see: http://zope.gush-shalom.org/index_en.html