Israel to grant preference to settlers in gun licensing procedure

[Douglas Carpenter]

Israel to grant preference to settlers in gun licensing procedure

Citizens living in 'danger regions' to receive preference in gun license issuance procedures; danger zone includes West Bank and a number of towns and communities along the Green Line.

By Gili Cohen

During meetings of Knesset committees held last February, settler representatives argued that under current circumstances several Israeli citizens in Judea and Samaria with criminal records can't get guns for self protection.

Orit Struck, a settler activist, attacked the government firearm permit policy. The government, she charged, "has created a situation in which every other citizen in Judea and Samaria has a criminal record for some nonsensical offense" and can therefore not own a firearm.

Police Brig. Gen. Meir Ben Yishai responded that "if someone throws a stone at a demonstration that does not suffice as a reason to disqualify a firearm request - we do not deny permits on those grounds, and I say that responsibly

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-to-grant-preference-to-settlers-in-gun-licensing-procedure-1.355842?utm_source=Mondoweiss+List&utm_campaign=4910b4c08c-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email

[WatsonT]

1. That makes sense

[azurnoir]

2. I've read that settlers carry military issue M-16's

even though the picture in the article shows a hand gun. I'm sure they carry both

Orit Struck the settler spokeswomen is the mother of the man convicted of this

Israeli human rights group Yesh Din brought the case against 28-year old Zvi Struk, son of Orit Struck, the right-wing leader of the Yesha settlement organization. Zvi Struck carried out the attack in 2007, along with at least one other settler who remains at large.

<snip>

According to the indictment, 15-year old Farah, who was again out herding his sheep, raised his hands in surrender when he saw the two settlers approaching on a tractor. Struk and his accomplice began to beat the child, and to fire an M-16 rifle toward Farah and other shepherd boys, who scattered and ran.

Farah told Defence for Children International, “Both of them started hitting and kicking me with their hands and feet and their firearms for about 10 minutes. I was still conscious but I was in a lot of pain. I was screaming and saying “My head!!, My Head!!!” and “Mother!” “Father!” 'Please come and help me!'”

They then tied the child to the back of the tractor, and dragged him across rocky ground. The boy lost consciousness while being dragged. Eeventually the two perpetrators stopped in an open field, where they stripped the child naked, beat him some more, then tied him up and left him for dead.

http://www.imemc.org/article/59952