Israeli Army clashes with settlers in West Bank

(5 May 2006) 1. Wide of policeman restraining man 2. Wide of settlers on roof of house chanting: "They are Nazis" 3. Various of settlers chanting and singing 4. Soldiers and police stood around 5. SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew) Vox pop: "Our court (Israel''s high court) always decides for the good of Arabs, not Jews." 6. Wide of soldiers and police walking along street 7. Close-up of masked settler holding torn Israeli flag on roof of house with little girl 8. Close-up of settler chanting on roof of house: "Deportation for Arabs not for Jews" 9. Soldiers and police with shields walking towards house with settlers on roof 10. Soldiers and police with residents looking on 11. Medium of soldiers and police near house STORYLINE: Tensions were high on Friday when the Israeli army clashed with settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron, after the high court ruled that Israeli troops will have to remove three Jewish settler families from a Palestinian-owned home there by Monday. The court had initially ordered the that the squatters be removed by Friday. However, army officials said they feared they would not be able to complete the task before the onset of the Jewish Sabbath at sundown on Friday. The court granted the request for an extension until Monday. After the court ruling, about 60 settlers scuffled with Israeli police at the home that is to be evacuated. The settlers shouted slogans against the removal of the squatters and slashed the tire of a police car, police said. Israeli media reported that the army was expected to remove the squatters in the night from Sunday to Monday, and that some 1,000 soldiers and police were being mobilised for the mission. Later, a masked settler, in a rare form of protest against the state, burned an Israeli flag on the roof of the building, witnesses said. Settlers on the building then cut up an Israeli flag and threw the pieces to the ground, where Israeli soldiers collected them, the witnesses said. Settlers also threw stones at Palestinian homes in the area, the witnesses said. Hebron is home to about 160,000 Palestinians and some 500 Jewish settlers living in heavily fortified enclaves in the downtown area. The Hebron settlers are among the most ultra-nationalist in the West Bank. About a month ago, three settler families moved into an abandoned home near the settler enclave of Avraham Avinu, presenting documents allegedly showing they had rented the property from its Palestinian owner. However, Israeli authorities later determined that the documents were forged, Israeli media reported. The forceful evacuation of the three families will be the first test of Israel''s new Defence Minister, Amir Peretz, leader of the moderate Labour Party. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...