Outpost burned (Archive)
Photo: AFP
West Bank: Arabs burn Jewish holy books
Some 200 Palestinians armed with bats, iron chains raid illegal West Bank outpost, burn hut and tent including prayer corner. Arab municipal head: We decided to remove settlers from site
Some 200 Palestinians armed with bats and iron chains raided the illegal West Bank outpost of Gaon HaYarden Friday and burned Jewish holy books at the site, the settlers said.
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The Arab attackers clashed with Jewish youths at the outposts before torching a hut and a tent that included a prayer corner and holy books. Security forces rushed to the scene and broke up the violence.
The Palestinians arrived at the outpost in dozens of vehicles and razed it. A leading member of the Jewish Hilltop Youth movement vowed to rebuild the outpost after the Shabbat.
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"There were a few youths at the site when some 150 to 200 Palestinians carrying PLO flags and armed with bats and iron chains raided it," an outpost resident told Ynet. "We managed to escape unharmed."
A short while later, clashes broke out between the settlers and the Palestinians, with both sides hurling stones and burning tires at each other. IDF troops at the site dispersed the crowds while sustaining stoning attacks. The area was declared a closed military zone and two settlers who defied the order were held for questioning and later released.
Arab leader: It's our land
Majed Fahim, the head of the Kfar Malek municipality told Ynet that the outpost in question was set up illegally on Arab land."Today we decided to come out after Friday prayers and reach our land, where this outpost was established, in order to remove the settlers from the site," he said.
Some 200 Palestinians arrived in the area and clashed with settlers at the outpost, Fahim said, adding that one Palestinian was wounded. At one point, the settlers fled the site, he said.
"I know that we managed to make them run away this time, but they will likely return again as they did in the past," he said.
Fahim admitted that after the settlers left the area, a group of Palestinians burned their tent.
Elior Levy, Ynet's Palestinian affairs correspondent, contributed to the story
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