ISRAEL: WEST BANK: POLICE CLASH WITH JEWISH SETTLERS

(12 Jul 1995) English/Nat Israeli police scuffled with hundreds of Jewish settlers who blocked a main West Bank highway late Tuesday night and early morning Wednesday. The demonstration is part of their campaign to try and block Palestinian self-rule in the area. Hundreds of Jewish settlers gathered here, near the West Bank settlement of Efrat. They moved this caravan into the area and part of a projected plan to increase the settlement and build further housing. The moving of the caravan is considered illegal as the settlers did not get IDF permission to do so. A large police force was called in the early hours of the morning to disperse the settlers. Police dragged the settlers off the Jerusalem-Hebron highway and 38 protesters were arrested, including several settler leaders. These West Bank settler vow to continue building their settlements up to Jerusalem. SOUNDBITE: (English) What we're doing here tonight is laying the groundwork to connect Gush Etzion to Jerusalem and we're going to keep on building and building and we're not going to stop. SUPER CAPTION: Settler The protest came only hours after settler leaders met to decide on their next moves against the emerging Israel-PLO accord on an Israeli troop withdrawal from several West Bank town. The troops are to be replaced by 15,000 Palestinian policemen. Some settler leaders have called for violent resistance to redeployment plans. Wednesday's confrontation began around midnight when settlers moved a trailer home to a hill next to the Jewish settlement of Efrat as part of plans to expand the settlement, located 10 kilometers (six miles) south of Jerusalem. At yesterday's Foreign and Defense committee (an Israeli parliament committee) meeting both Israeli Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, and the leader of the opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu, reacted in agreement to the warnings of settlers that they would fight to extend their settlements. SOUNDBITE: (English) I do not believe that anybody in this country is above the law or can violate this law or can take the law into his hands. This is a danger not only to the land but to the country. SUPER CAPTION: Shimon Peres, Israeli Foreign Minister For once, the two opposing leaders agreed on this sensitive and inflammatory issue. SOUNDBITE: (English) There is no room for rebellions and civil war. We have to fight this battle with the democratic ad legitimate means available to an opposition in a democracy. SUPER CAPTION: Benjamin Netanyahu, Opposition Likud leader After a long night, the settlers gathered again this afternoon (12/07/95) at the same spot to follow through with their plans to continue building the settlement of Efrat. The demonstrations came as PLO leader Yasser Arafat was quoted as saying an agreement on expanding Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank would be signed in Washington next month (August). 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...