Report: Settlers plan march to Palestinian towns

Jewish settlers dressed as Palestinian protesters clash with a settler during a
drill, held by the settler's security response teams, simulating violence that could
erupt ahead of the upcoming Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations
September 14, 2011, in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba.
[Reuters/Ronen Zvulun]

TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers are preparing to march on Israeli army command offices and Palestinian towns in the West Bank starting Tuesday afternoon, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

Dubbed "sovereignty marches," settlers are protesting the Palestinian's bid for full membership at the UN, Israeli website Ynet said.

Far-right activist Itamar Ben-Gvir told the site that settlers were "going to go out and make it clear to the Arabs who the home owners are."

"We're going to take the initiative and march towards Palestinian towns."

The news site quoted a settlement security officer saying they were prepared to use live ammunition on Palestinian demonstrators, as settlers felt the Israeli army were "too trusting" of Palestinian security to deter potential marches on the settlements.

News reports said two weeks ago that Israeli forces were arming settlers with tear-gas canisters, stun grenades and even trained dogs to counter potential attacks by the Palestinians around the bid for full membership of the United Nations.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib warned on Thursday that a serious increase in settler violence towards West Bank Palestinians threatened escalation of the situation ahead of the Palestinians' bid for membership of the UN.

In a Nablus-area village under repeated attack from settlers, the local council has established a voluntary village guard to fend off settler raids into the community.

Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti has warned that settlers "could commit massacres against the Palestinians" following an escalation in settler attacks in early September.

Barghouthi said the attacks were "part of a plan" to use settlers to attack Palestinians. Noting that the Israeli army was providing settlers with military facilities, he said the army was participating in "organized crime" with settlers in the West Bank.

Maan News Agency