israeli - palestinians

"These hundreds are engaged in conspiratorial actions against Palestinians and the security forces. It's a very grave phenomenon. This is harming our ability to carry out security missions in the territories. We have to divert our efforts to there from other issues. The margins [in the settler community] are expanding, because they are enjoying a tailwind and the backing of part of the leadership, both rabbinical and public, whether in explicit statements or tacitly."

- Major General Gadi Shamni of the Israeli Defense Forces, commenting on violence by Israeli settlers. According to the BBC, he also said that in some cases Israeli soldiers who had intervened to stop settlers from attacking Palestinians had themselves been attacked by settlers, adding, "The majority [of settlers] here act normally. We're talking about a hard core of a few hundred activists." (Source: BBC)