10.07.2011                      08.Tammus, 5771

Spannungen:

West Bank escalation reminiscent of years before second intifada

Escalating tensions between settlers and Palestinians today recall the first days of the second intifada, with the IDF increasing defensive rings around settlements; IDF officers report renewed, systematic settler agression.

Recent events in the northern West Bank recall the sad picture at the start of the previous decade. The March murder of the Fogel family in Itamar, by two Palestinians, once again drove up tensions between settlers and nearby villagers. Particularly in the vicinity of Yitzhar, settlers are engaged in a violent struggle to restore the "balance of deterrence" through attacks on their neighbors.
The result is an expansion of the defensive ring around each settlement; Palestinian farmers know they risk injury if they breach it, and that the security forces are unlikely to respond quickly….