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Palestinian detained with Molotov cocktails
[Ma'an] Israeli forces jugged a Paleostinian whose car was full of Molotov cocktails on Sunday in Beit Ummar in the southern West Bank, an Israeli army spokeswoman said.Ten kilometers north of the town, Paleostinian security warned drivers en route south to exercise caution when driving through the tense area. The night before, mobs of settlers attacked Paleostinian cars and homes on the main road in Beit Ummar and the nearby Al-Arrub refugee camp, destroying a plant nursery, home windows and car tires. Local front man Muhammad Ayyad Awad said settlers opened fire and threw stones at homes before they were dispersed by Israeli military tear gas. He noted that the gas canisters were fired close to civilian homes, causing two elderly residents to suffer severe breathing problems, requiring hospitalization. On Sunday afternoon, Awad said an Israeli military patrol closed off a quarter of the town, dispatching what residents described as a bomb squad to inspect a parked car. Awad told Ma'an that nothing was found in the vehicle, but an Israeli military spokeswoman said the car contained a number of "fire bombs," which she later said were Molotov cocktails. The driver of the car was jugged, she said, and passengers questioned on the scene. The local front man identified the man jugged as 30-year-old Sharif Ali Mohammad Ikhliel, adding that he was taken to an unknown location. Awad said three families totaling some 30 men, women and kiddies were barricaded into their homes for three hours during the incident as heads of households were questioned. The military spokeswoman said the families were kept indoors for their own safety as the car was inspected. Hours after the incident drivers heading south from the central West Bank were warned by Paleostinian security forces to exercise caution en route to Hebron, saying there was trouble on the road. Ma'an's correspondent confirmed that by six o'clock, all was quiet on the road, but noted a heavy military presence and increased patrols around the Etzion settlement near Beit Ummar. Owner of the vandalized plant nursery near Beit Ummar, Shahda Al-Alami, said he feared further settler attacks, and wondered, "What do I have to do with the death of the settlers in the north? My home is 80 kilometers away from there." Israeli forces stepped up their presence in the West Bank amid fears of settler retaliation for the murder of five Israelis from the same family in the northern West Bank settlement of Itamar overnight Friday. Israeli officials have placed the blame on Paleostinians, but the perpetrator of the crime remains unknown. Settler attacks were reported across the West Bank Saturday night and Sunday. Israel Radio reported that settler groups were calling for the total closure of the West Bank by the Israeli military. Near the site of the killings Israeli forces have imposed a curfew on the village of Awarta, adjacent to the Itamar settlement, reportedly conducting home-to-home raids. A British-era rifle and some ammunition were found in the home of 74-year-old Izzat Qawariq, a village resident, and confiscated, Israel Radio reported. The station said Israel's central West Bank commander toured the area while it was under curfew. Posted by: Fred 2011-03-14 |
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