Armed Jewish settlers "to march on Palestinian cities"

Hebrew media sources claim that illegal Jewish settlers intend to organize demonstrations and rallies on the outskirts of Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank. According to reports in Yedioth Ahronoth, the armed settlers have threatened to shoot at Palestinians if they organise counter-demonstrations or try to approach illegal settlements.

The marches, it is claimed, are being organised to illustrate the settlers’ “control” of the land; they will try to gain access to the Israeli occupation army’s coordination offices. A similar march is planned for Tel Aviv from where right-wing activists will move towards the occupied Palestinian territories to take the conflict into the areas nominally under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

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Yedioth Ahronoth said that settlers’ leaders plan to organise marches in three regions from Bet Aeyl to the nearest Office of Coordination and Liaison, and from the settlement of Kiryat Arba in Hebron to the settlement of Har Manoah. The organisers will drape cars with Israeli flags.

Meir Bartel, one of the leaders of the extremist settlers who call themselves the “youth of the hills”, told the newspaper, “Israel should annex the settlement blocs in response to the Palestinian Authority’s decision to go to the United Nations. We will organise marches to show the world that this land is the land of the people of Israel.” A Jewish settlement security officer added, “The military orders are unclear, and if the Palestinians try to reach the settlements, we will not hesitate to fire live bullets at them.”