Israeli Settlers attack Israeli Army

Hello Loyal Readers ... and others as the case may be,

I had not decided if I would continue to blog or not ... but this is just too interesting to ignore. I felt I had to spread the word. Yesterday, as I was driving to a Michigan Peace Team meeting of all places, I heard on NPR - "Settlers attack Israeli Army". Settler attacks are fairly common in the West Bank. They attack Palestinians and their property frequently. They also attack internationals who happen to get the way. Such events have become so common that they are hardly even newsworthy any more. Consequences for the settlers are minimal if anything occurs at all. For example: The United Nations reports, "...of 97 complaints about settler attacks against Palestinian trees, followed up by the Israeli NGO Yesh Din, none (zero) has so far led to the indictment of a suspect." BUT ATTACKING THE ARMY !! This should be interesting.

Some info for those who are new readers: Settlers are Israeli citizens who live in settlements or outposts - all inside Palestine. Settlements are considered illegal by international law but the State of Israel disagrees and continues to encourages settlement growth. Outposts are similar except they have not been authorized by the State of Israel and are considered illegal by the State of Israel. Sometimes the Israeli army is sent to eradicate outposts.

More info: Settlers who are upset with some government decision or action will often react by attacking Palestinians, or their olive trees, or their home or cars, or maybe their Mosque. Such is called Price Tag. In short the price for the Israeli government's "sins" is Palestinian suffering. Settlers seldom have consequences for Price Tagging. BUT to PRICE TAG their own ARMY .... whoa !

So there is a significant outpost that has been scheduled for elimination. That appears to be the motivation for this attack, this Price Tag, on the Army. Some Israeli officials are a bit upset.
"Yaakov Peri, formerly head of the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet, ...claims Jewish extremists now pose a greater threat to Israeli security than terrorism." That is a strong statement. You can read more about it and the attack at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/13/israeli-military-attack-jewish-extremists

Palestinians who runs afoul of Israeli positions can be detained for long periods of time without charges. It is a classic case of a dual standard. Palestinians get severe punishment without trial; Israelis and internationals are generally treated by a more responsible standards. So I was a bit surprised to read: "After two days of settler violence that shocked much of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamine Netanyahu announced Wednesday that some radical Israelis would be treated the same way as suspected Palestinian militants — detained for long periods without charge and tried in military courts." OK I sometimes read alternative news sources but that quote is from the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/world/middleeast/netanyahu-sets-new-curbs-on-violent-settlers-in-israel.html

Google "Settler Attack Israeli Army" if you want to read more.

I guess that is enough for now ... interesting stuff ... the potential Israeli political ramifications for example ... but enough for now ... with peace, Fred