Palestinians allegedly attack Yitzhar

3 Israelis, 6 Palestinians wounded after group enters vineyard; demonstrator hurt at Nil'in protest.

By YAAKOV KATZ
fence protest nilin 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
fence protest nilin 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Three Yitzhar residents were injured on Friday evening in a confrontation with Palestinians after allegedly being fired upon from the outskirts of their West Bank settlement. Yitzhar's rapid-response team was alerted after the shooting, and the alleged attackers were seen running in the direction of the nearby Palestinian village of Orif. Residents exited the village to confront the settlers, which led to the clashes. Six Palestinians were also injured. IDF troops arrived on the scene and used riot gear to disperse the Palestinians. Also Friday, a Palestinian activist protesting the construction of the security barrier near the West Bank village of Nil'in was seriously wounded by a tear gas canister, according to Palestinian sources. A number of other protesters were also said to have been hit by canisters. The IDF said that tear gas was fired after protesters threw rocks at security forces. Last week, a resident of the village of Bil'in was killed during a similar demonstration. Approximately 1,000 demonstrators, including Israeli and foreign activists, took part in the protest, as did some 50 youths from the 'Im Tirtzu' student organization, who arrived to show support to the security forces. The group was accompanied by MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) and Mendy Safdie, spokesman for Deputy Minister for the Development of the Negev and Galilee Ayoub Kara. Schneller explained that he had come to protest against anarchists and the radical Left, insisting that "an indictment must be filed [against them] and that the phenomenon must be seriously addressed." The protesters who arrive at Nil'in every Friday to demonstrate against the barrier's construction stray from the village checkpoint, entering a closed military zone. According to Safdie, the deputy minister had already written to Interior Minister Eli Yishai, asking him to act against the demonstrators. The same request was also made to Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharanovitch. Amit Barak, assistant director general of Im Tirtzu, told The Jerusalem Post that the organization was calling on Knesset members and the government to act with decisiveness against the protesters. "The time has come to issue restraining orders and impose administrative detention. Every now and then we hear of [such actions] being taken against right-wing activists. Therefore, there is nothing to prevent [the state] from acting against the anarchists that return on a weekly basis to misbehave and harm the security forces," Barak said. "In addition, we call on Eli Yishai, the new interior minister, to begin dealing with the same foreign anarchists that create provocations, incite and physically harm soldiers and border guards in Judea and Samaria. They should be arrested, expelled from the country and prevented from returning again," Barak told the Post. Im Tirtzu aims to strengthen Zionist ideals on Israeli university campuses. Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.