Fears Jewish extremists could target Israeli leaders

THE head of Israel’s internal security service said yesterday he is “very concerned” that Jewish extremists could assassinate an Israeli leader in an attempt to foil peace moves with the Palestinians.

There has been a recent increase in violence by hardline Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and this week Israel marks the 13th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist opposed to his negotiations.

“Just ahead of the anniversary of Rabin’s murder [tomorrow], the Shin Bet [secret service] sees... on the extreme right, a willingness to use firearms in order to halt diplomatic processes and harm political leaders,” Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said. “The Shin Bet is very concerned about this.”

Diskin spoke at the weekly meeting of the Israeli cabinet; his statement was released by another meeting participant.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned of growing lawlessness among Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Settlers clashed repeatedly with Israeli police, soldiers and Palestinians in the past week over the evacuation of an unauthorised outpost they set up in Hebron.

Olmert said a significant group settlers “behave in a way that threatens the correctness of the rule of law, not only in the area they live in, but in the overall atmosphere of the state of Israel.”

He said a special team would be set up to enforce the law among settlers.

Settlers and Palestinians clashed in Hebron yesterday when hundreds of Palestinians held a protest against Israeli troops and settlers in the city.