Israeli PM Vows to Punish Killers of Israeli SettlerIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on December 8 called the killing of a woman Jewish settler a " cowardly act" and vowed not to let the attackers go unpunished."The cowardly act on the civilians would not break our spirit and determined strength against violence and terrorism," said a statement issued by the prime minister's office. Barak met earlier with Israeli families, which have lost relatives in the 10-week clashes between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The violence has left more than 300 people dead, most of them Palestinians, and thousands of others wounded. The families demanded the government to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians in a bid to end the violence, which was triggered by a visit by an Israeli right-wing politician to an Islamic holy site in Jerusalem on September 28. Friday morning, a 45-year-old woman settler was shot dead and two others were wounded when they were travelling in a car near a Jewish settlement outside the West Bank city of Hebron. Latest reports said the driver of the car, who suffered serious injuries in the attack, also has died. The attackers, who reportedly fired shots from a parked vehicle when their victims came close, later drove to Hebron, most of which is under the Palestinian control. After the incident, Israeli settlers held demonstrations at Mount Hebron and blocked the road to the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva. The Yesha Settlers' Council, which is in charge of the Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, asked the government to ban the Palestinians from driving in private cars. The council demanded that the Palestinians be restricted to use public transport or taxis that have been checked by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It threatened that the settlers would react in their own way if the prime minister does not allow the army to take the precautions. |
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