Israeli settlers plan marches on Palestinian towns

3 hrs, 2 mins ago
Source:JMCC

RAMALLAH, September 18 (JMCC) - Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank say they will "take the initiative" by marching on Palestinian towns, reports Ynet.

The activities planned by nearly 300,000 Jewish settlers living among 2.5 million Palestinians are to start on Tuesday when discussion opens at the United Nations in New York over a Palestinian state. Marches will target Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron.

The settler rallies are set to begin Tuesday afternoon, as participants plan to make their way towards the IDF District Coordination and Liaison Command. A protest is also slated to take place on the streets of Tel Aviv. In addition, right wing extremists are expected to head in the direction of Palestinian communities in order to shift the conflict into PA territories.

The West Bank regional and settlers' councils planned to hold the marches in three separate locations: From Itamar to Nablus, from Beit El to the closest IDF District Coordination and Liaison and from Kiryat Arba to Manoach Mountain.

Tens of thousands of Israeli flags will be distributed by the West Bank regional councils and hung from the settlers' cars.

Gershon Mesika, head of the Shomron Regional Council, remarked that he was not flustered by the Palestinian diplomacy concerning the UN. "Most of the decisions made by the UN during the past decades were against the State of Israel. The entire world has come to realize it's an automatic majority. As Ben-Gurion said, it doesn't matter what the non-Jews say, it only matters what the Jews do."

Hilltop Youth leader Meir Bertler expressed his hope that Israel would annex the West Bank settlements. "As far as we're concerned, we're going to feel right at home in the West Bank, and this week we'll hold marches, begin construction and show our presence in order to make it clear to everyone exactly who this country belongs to."

Far-right activist Itamar Ben-Gvir stressed that his counterparts will not be "waiting at home so the Arabs might get close to their fences."

"We're going to go out and make it clear to the Arabs who the home owners are. We're going to take the initiative and march towards Palestinian towns."