Hebron tensions rise as settlers await eviction

On Wednesday, Israel called in 300 riot police to rein in the young settlers, who hurled stones and debris at both the Palestinians who surround them and the Israeli soldiers who guard the four-story structure the settlers have named the "House of Peace."

Black stars of David daubed on Muslim gravestones nearby, the smashed windows of a Palestinian home and a wall tagged with a spray-painted Hebrew word - "revenge" - were evidence of the dangerously increasing violence around the building.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet with settler leaders Thursday morning to try to settle the dispute, Barak's office said in a statement.

Interviewed on Channel 2 TV Wednesday evening, Barak said he would continue talking to settlers, but there would be no compromise over evacuation of the building. "The Supreme Court has made a decision, and that decision will be implemented," he said. "Israel is a nation of laws."

On Wednesday, the teenagers prayed, played guitars and hung out aimlessly when they weren't pelting soldiers and Palestinians with stones and paint-filled balloons.

The building is a settler enclave in a city where some 500 Jews live under military guard among 170,000 Palestinians.

Settlers moved in without government authorization early last year. They claim they purchased the property from a Palestinian, who admits he was going to sell them the building but says he changed his mind. Israel's Supreme Court ruled last month that the settlers should be evicted until a different court decides who the rightful owner is.

It remains unclear when, or if, the government will act. The West Bank is dotted with around 100 unauthorized settler outposts that Israeli authorities have not touched.

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