PALESTINIAN VILLAGES ~~ NOW YOU SEE THEM.... NOW YOU DON'T

The shattered marble panels of the Hashalom factory, some of which were designated for the kitchens of settlers, testify like a thousand witnesses to the events of the night of revenge. The weeping of Naama Masalha, who had to hide with her young children in the bathroom while the settlers smashed the windows of their house, also tells the story of that night of horror. In the small village of Al Funduq on the Qalqilyah-Nablus road, where Israelis, mainly settlers living in the area, still repair their cars and go shopping, they are now licking their wounds and assessing the damage.

The head of the local council, Omar Jaber, presents a report: damage to marble - NIS 111,000 ($27,500); to cars - NIS 76,000 ($19,000); to homes - NIS 6,000 ($1,500); to shops - NIS 10,000 ($2,500). He claims that 16 cars, 15 homes, 15 shops and two marble factories were damaged on the night of November 24. It is almost certain that nobody will compensate them for these hostile acts. Now just fear, fury and frustration remain in peaceful Al Funduq, which paid the price for the killing of settler Ido Zoldan, 29, a resident of Shavei Shomron, who was shot on the road that passes through the village five nights earlier.

On that Saturday night, hundreds of settlers stormed Al Funduq under the protection of Israel Defense Forces soldiers - who, according to testimony, even assisted in the destruction - and rioted in the village that was under curfew. Two days later it was reported that Israeli security forces had caught the gang suspected of killing Zoldan: three members of the Palestinian National Security organization, from Kadum. Last week the settlers went there, too. Haaretz