Behind closed doors, police admit ‘turning a blind eye’ to settler violence
Friday, August 15th, 2008Uri Blau; 15/8/08
Police, soldiers and military officers prefer to “turn a blind eye” instead of handling incidents in which settlers attack Palestinians in the West Bank. In a meeting held by West Bank precinct operations officer Ronen Yefet last week, participants - including a Shin Bet security service representative and a senior police and army officers - reported a recent increase in the number of violent incidents involving settlers. The Shin Bet representative stated in the discussion that settler violence has been “intentional and planned,” adding that any Israel Defense Forces operations against settlers (eviction or demolitions) now comes with a violent “price tag.” Police officers at the meeting criticized the IDF for reportedly saying they do not want to act against settlers, and purported comments like “Leave me alone, don’t get me mixed up with those guys.”
