Israel's deputy PM admits colonists benefit from 'apartheid'

Israel's deputy PM admits colonists benefit from 'apartheid'
By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel said it demolished several structures near an unsanctioned Jewish colony in the Occupied West Bank on Monday, a day after it vowed to stop funding such outposts amid escalating settler violence. Army bulldozers backed by police forces tore down four makeshift structures located outside the Migron outpost in the Ramallah area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a military spokesman said.

There were no immediate reports of violence following the destruction of the structures.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday vowed Israeli security forces would continue cracking down on unsanctioned outposts and settler violence in the Occupied West Bank. "The security establishment and police will continue to act forcefully against law violators in the territories," he said in Parliament.

All Jewish settlements are illegal under international law.

Settlers have clashed with security forces on several occasions since Israeli authorities dismantled a Jewish settlement outpost near Hebron last week.

Several ministers had harsh words for the hard-line settlers at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, where Vice Premier Haim Ramon pointed out that 700 Palestinians are being held without trial for "lesser" crimes.

"Why not do this against the settlers?" he said. "There is discrimination, apartheid, in dealing with Palestinians and Jews involved in disturbances."

About 100 unsanctioned colonies dot the Occupied West Bank, some consisting of just a few trailers and others of several mobile homes connected to the power grid. They are usually built as extensions to officially established settlements and are considered illegal by Israel.

More than 260,000 Israelis live in government-authorized settlements across the West Bank, with another 200,000 in Occupied East Jerusalem in contravention of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. - AFP, with The Daily Star
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