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Latest update: 12/03/2011
- Israeli settlements - Israeli-Palestinian conflict - West Bank
Manhunt underway after killing of five Jewish settlers
Israeli and Palestinian security forces are hunting for the perpetrators of an overnight knife attack in the Jewish settlement of Itamar, in the Israeli-occupied occupied West Bank, where five members from the same family have been killed.
REUTERS - A Jewish couple and three of their children were stabbed to death in a West Bank settlement on Saturday in what Israeli officials said was an attack by a Palestinian who broke into their home in the early hours.
Troops from the Israeli occupation forces set up roadblocks and were searching the area around the settlement of Itamar, near the Palestinian city of Nablus, for the suspect.
A baby was among the five dead, officials said.
“This is the despicable murder of an entire, innocent family, parents and their young ones while they slept in their house,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“Israel will not ignore such a contemptible murder and will act aggressively to ensure the security of its civilians and to punish the murderers,” he said in a statement. He called on the Palestinian Authority to assist in catching those responsible.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, whose government demands the removal of settlements in order to establish a Palestinian state, said such violence was never justified.
“There should be no doubt over our position regarding violence. We have rejected it totally and we have always condemned it,” Fayyad was quoted as saying by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
In a strongly worded statement, the office of U.S. President Barack Obama later called on the Palestinian Authority to condemn the attack, leaving it unclear whether the White House was aware of Fayyad’s earlier comment.
“There is no possible justification for the killing of parents and children in their home,” the White House said in its statement. “We call on the Palestinian Authority to unequivocally condemn this terrorist attack.”
No group claimed responsibility for the attack but the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip said it offered its “full support” to any actions taken against settlers.
However, a senior figure in Hamas’s exile leadership in Syria, Izzat al-Rishq, said: “We had nothing to do with it.”
Israelis responded with horror to the attack on the Jewish sabbath, and it may complicate efforts to restart peace talks. These are frozen in arguments over whether Israel should first stop expanding settlements on occupied land, which Western governments view as illegal under international law.
Kabha Ma’awiyeh, one of the first paramedics to arrive on scene, said the family members were stabbed in bed and pools of blood had collected on the floor.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has dropped significantly since its peak during a Palestinian uprising a decade ago.
Tensions in the area had risen earlier in the week when Israeli troops fired live rounds at Palestinians after they clashed with settlers. Ten Palestinians and one Israeli were wounded in the confrontation.
Israel has been loosening restrictions on the movement of Palestinians and goods in the occupied territory but maintains a system of roadblocks and checkpoints.
The army has also limited the scope of its raids against suspected militants in Palestinian towns and villages, handing over some responsibility to Palestinian security forces.
Israeli officials have said Netanyahu, who insists on keeping an Israeli military presence along the West Bank’s eastern border with Jordan in any peace deal, is weighing fresh steps to move the diplomatic process forward.
Israeli media have reported his moves could include a proposal for a Palestinian state inside temporary borders, an option Palestinian leaders have already rejected.
According to the settlers’ YESHA council, about 100 families live in Itamar.
There was a similar attack on the religious settlement in 2002, when a gunman broke into a house and opened fire, killing four members of one family and a neighbour.
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Comments (8)
hahAAaaa
"Innocent people" said Benjamin
Dear Nur
The amount of lies is unbelievable. How dare you call these facts?!
Here are some real facts:
Gaza Strip: sorry nury, it has been reported, and videotaped, in rafah people gave candies and baklawas to the people on streets for marking the slaughter.
Thai workers?? hahahaha you are so full of lies... you must be a palestinian. this artificial rumor is now a fact in the palestinian villages. But it is a fact that every jew killed in the judea and samaria (so called west bank) is killed because he is a jew, by arab terrorists.
You are right. Some radical settlers live in illegal outposts on palestinian private land and make the disgusting "tag mehir" acts. But Itamar is not on any stolen land. This land was taken by Israel in 67, from Jordan. Jordan have no claim to this land, and the jews were the owners when palestinians and islam did not exist.
Human shields? you mean like the hamas who shoots rockets from civilians houses and hide its weapons on schools? how two parents and children, living in there house, can be called human shields and the ones hiding behind it?
And according to the reports, the parents both tried to fight the killers and to protect the baby before they were killed. They were the human shield themselves.
Ethnic cleansing? wow, i didn't know. Please tell me the name of the last palestinian village destroyed lately, and how many palestinians were cleansed and killed by Israel in the west bank in the last few weeks.
And you dare say these are facts and not unsubstantiated allegations, while it is the exact opposite.
You say it is daily killings. OK, how many palestinian kids were murdered this week? how many women and elders? how many palestinians the settlers kill every day, and how many the soldiers kill every week? who are the latest victims?
Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies. You are the propagandist between the two of us.
Oh, and my leaders are saying for the last two years to your leaders: let's negotiate for peace, with no demands.
But Abbas and Fayyad want a settelment freeze. Strange... they had no problem negotiating with Livni and Olmert for years, while there was no freeze. Who don't want peace, my leaders or yours?
Your leaders too, still have a chance to sit down at the table and make peace.
i wonder why france 24 do not
i wonder why france 24 do not post my comments answering nur and sam. please post my comments.
Dear "Israeli who wants
Dear "Israeli who wants peace",
No festivals and celebrations in Gaza about this -- that you've made such an incendiary comment indicates that (1) you could care less about peace, and (2) you are a Hasbara propagandist. A few inconvenient facts about the murders:
* There is no proof yet that the murders were perpetrated by Palestinians. There are now reports that disgruntled Thai workers are amongst suspects
* Ultra Zionist settlers are waging a murderous and illegal appropriation of Palestinian land; it is unconscionable that they would put their children in such a dangerous situation and use them as human shields.
* Palestinian civilians, including many children, are murdered, detained, tortured and abused on a daily basis by illegal settlers and the Israeli forces that protect their illegal ethnic cleansing campaign. These are facts, not unsubstantiated allegations. Happy to send/post human rights reports at your request.
The world is finally waking up to what Israel's true agenda is. Your leaders still have a chance to sit down at the table and make peace. Otherwise, political earthquakes and tsunamis are headed your way--- the Arab public, especially the youth, has finally had enough.
Murder
I am Palestinian and I will tell you that the one/s who did this cannot be Palestinians because of more than one reason. Palestinians never targeted children even when the Israelis did. It is not allowed in their believes, religion and not accepted in their culture and as a Palestinian, I would want to see the one/s who did such murder to be punished in the worst possible way. We Palestinian were discussed when we learned of the news.
The second reason that makes the killings not related to Palestinians is:
This murder was done of the Russian Mafia style. The hit targeted everyone they put their hands on it and it was done is a way that the one/s that did what they did and had his/their time while doing it and pullets were fired according to their neighbors. Also if you noticed, the Israeli minster did not accuse Palestinians of the killings which is not something normal in a case like that. Also within few hours of the murder, the Israeli army had re-opened the city as if nothing happened and that only should tell you where this is going to.
Dr. Sam Darwish
I wish your report of events
I wish your report of events in Israel will be fair and accurate. It should have stated the brutal murder of a Jewish family on Sabath first - and than the governement's decision on settlements. The order in which you have presented it this morning reaks of political agenda and prejuidices.
my take
Terrible and unjustified violence of course, but why move your family to an 'occupied' area? Pretty irresponsible parents in my opinion.
YOU ARE SO SUBJECTIVE!
It is not a "killing", it's a murder.
"Troops from the Israeli occupation forces"? these are troops of the IDF, israeli defense forces. you are supposed to report, not to put in your political agenda by inventing names.
"Israelis responded with horror to the attack on the Jewish sabbath"- change this one, it features the israelis being horrored because of the murder occurring in the sabbath, and not because of the murder itself.
and please, settlements being illegal is not relevant.
a father, a mother, 12 years old boy, 4 years old child and a three months old baby daughter had their throats sliced while sleeping. it is a barbaric, savage doing. only a monster can stab a sleeping baby.
oh, and be so kind and report the festivals and celebrations in the gaza strip for this brutal slaughter.
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