AFP PHOTO / ABBAS MOMANI
A group of presumed Israelis torched a Palestinian car and carried out further acts of “hatred” against Jilazoun refugee camp in Ramallah Tuesday night, to retaliate a court ruling ordering the evacuation of Migron, a Jewish outpost in the West Bank, according to AP.
The assailants broke into the refugee camp after midnight, burning a car and spreading anti-Palestinian graffiti on the walls. The graffiti suggests the assailants are part of a campaign called “price tag”, which attacks Arabs and Palestinians in connection with state attempts to remove illegal settlements.
This was the fifth “hate” attack against Palestinians or their property in two weeks, Israeli military officials told AP. On Monday, Israeli settlers attacked a 65 year old Hebron man with knives and sticks, according to Israeli Army Radio.
Another attack on a southern West Bank village was reported by AFP on Tuesday that left three cars burnt. This attack was thought to be in retaliation for the death of two Israeli men who died in a car crash last September after stones were thrown at their car.
United Nations deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq renewed the UN’s position against illegal Israeli settlements on Tuesday, according to state-owned MENA news agency.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Efrat settlement on Monday, where he made statements about it and Gush Etzion being “integral” parts of greater Jerusalem.
“They are the southern gateway to Jerusalem and will always be part of the state of Israel,” AFP quoted Netanyahu saying.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu assured his cabinet on Sunday of the government’s respect for the court’s decision regarding the dismantling of the Migron outpost.
The Israeli high court ordered the evacuation of the Migron outpost in March, deeming it an illegal settlement built on privately-owned Palestinian land, according to Haaretz.
The post ordered to be evacuated by 1 August. The deadline was postponed to 28 August and has since been broken. The outpost is home to 50 Jewish families.
