Color Daily Middle East: Olmert Accuses Settlers of 'Pogrom' Against Palestinians
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"With tight lips, as if being forced by the President of the United States, Binyamin Netanyahu succeeded in saying that if and when and maybe and perhaps, he would be willing for there to be something obvious, something that Israel signed on to long ago and that he himself adopted 13 years ago.” - Ofer Shelah, writing in Maariv
9.15.2008

Olmert Accuses Settlers of 'Pogrom' Against Palestinians

 The Israeli government and Jewish settlers are on a collision course after vigilante actions in the West Bank. At the same time, Defense Minister Ehud Barak says the crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip will be closed on Monday because Palestinian militants fired a rocket into southern Israel Sunday. 
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert lashed out at Jewish settlers in the West Bank who went on a rampage in a Palestinian village.  "The state of Israel does not allow pogroms against non-Jews," Olmert said. Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting, he said settlers who take the law into their own hands will be punished.
Settlers attacked a neighboring village after a Palestinian infiltrated their community, damaged property and stabbed a nine-year-old Israeli boy five times. The boy suffered minor wounds and the assailant escaped. Six Palestinians were hurt when settlers opened fire and threw stones at homes in the village.
Settlement leaders are angry that Mr. Olmert used the word "pogrom," which usually refers to the persecution of Jews.
Settlement activist Yisrael Meidad said Olmert is blaming the wrong side. "Violence begets violence, and in my indication and sources, the violence started from the Arab side," said Meidad.
One Israeli military commentator described the situation in the West Bank as the "law of the jungle."
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Israeli truce negotiator attacks Israel's leaders

After the collapse of the Egyptian brokered truce negotiations with Hamas, Israel’s chief negotiator, Amos Gilad, was quoted at length attacking his country’s leaders in Israel's Maariv newspaper.

"I don’t understand what it is that they’re trying to do. To insult the Egyptians? We’ve already insulted them.
It’s madness. It’s simply madness.
Egypt has remained almost our last ally here. For what? After all, it’s damaging to national security. Our very essence here is a choice between bad alternatives to worse ones and even worse ones.
The Egyptians have shown extraordinary courage. They’ve given us maneuvering room, they’re trying to mediate, they’re investing efforts, they’re showing goodwill of a kind they’ve never shown before. So it’s true that on the ground that comes out as 60% and not 100%... So what are we going to do?
Mubarak has been fair and courageous—the Rafah border crossing is closed, Hamas is under siege.
What are we thinking? That they work for us? That they’re a subordinate unit of ours?
We’re talking about a country with 85 million citizens, a country that almost destroyed us in 1948 and dealt us a blow in 1973.
Look at what is happening in the region, how the lava is bubbling, how everything is in an uproar, they also have the Muslim Brotherhood, look at Jordan, look at Turkey. Do we want to lose all that?"

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