Tempers are flaring in Chevron and this was evident on Thursday morning during skirmishes between Bet HaShalom supporters and IDF soldiers and security forces.

In one case officials report, area residents, Jews, lightly injured a solder after they threw turpentine in his face. A police vehicle and a number of army vehicles were damaged as well according to official reports.

Police report Jews spray painted “Mohammed Pig” on walls in the area, the type of graffiti they fear will incite Islamic violence among the area’s Arab residents. The graffiti was directed at a local mosque and a Muslim cemetery.

MK Uri Ariel of the new right-wing bloc has warned against a possible ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) provocateur, as was seen in the past, perhaps planted to discredit the Chevron Jewish community.

Chevron’s leaders are checking into the violence attributed to area Jewish residents, stating they are doing everything possible to avoid confrontations and for now, they are not convinced the statements released by official IDF channels are indeed accurate.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)