Havot Maon
Photo: Alex Kolmoisky
Settler injured in clash with Palestinians
Fight breaks out after Palestinians claim settlers broke into their home, attacked women
A resident of the West Bank settlement of Havot Maon was lightly to moderately injured by a stone thrown at him during a brawl with Palestinian residents of a nearby village. He was evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba to receive treatment.
The villagers claim the clash broke out because the settlers broke into one of their homes, attacked the women, and committed acts of vandalism before fleeing the scene.
The Palestinian residents sought the help of the leftist Ta'ayush organization, which reported the claims to the army. One of the organization members told Ynet that an IDF force arrived at the scene led by a lieutenant-colonel who heard their claims and then ordered them to disperse, cocking his weapon when they refused.
The IDF said later that if the officer cocked his weapon, he must have felt a danger present to him and his soldiers.
The organization members also claim that the settlers returned to the village later to start the brawl in which one of them was injured. Security forces are on the scene attempting to calm matters.
A spokesman for the settlers, Boaz Etzioni, told Ynet the activists' claims were ridiculous. "There is no reason in the world for residents to leave their homes on a Saturday and attack a nearby village for no reason," he said.
He also rejected claims that the settlers knew no men were present in the home allegedly attacked. "These are repeated ploys presented by extreme leftists under the guise of a human rights organization, on a day in which the religious residents of the farm cannot comment to the media. Someone has to put an end to this," Etzioni said.
