Diplomats Fearful For Their Lives?

I've been checking around but so far, no one has heard of this incident:

Western diplomats working with the Palestinians have received letters warning them that they are "at risk" because of their nations' criticism of settlements, sources told AFP on Thursday.


Sources at several foreign missions in east Jerusalem said a group of men who appeared to be Israeli settlers had handed threatening letters to diplomats as they went through a military checkpoint by the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The unsigned letter, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, warns diplomats to "Go home!"  "You are guests in our country! You are standing on the Holy Land of the Jewish nation. Do not interfere with the building of our country," the letter says.  "The meddling by the American government and by the European Union is putting your stay at risk... We never will make peace with Palestinian terrorists!" the letter warns.

The one-page letter printed in capital letters is accompanied by a second sheet of paper printed with the words "President Barack Hussein Obama - with friends like you who needs enemies!!!"

An official at the US consulate in east Jerusalem, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the mission's employees had received the letter last week.  "The US consulate can confirm that it has been a recipient," he said, adding that no specific additional security measures were being prepared.  "We have precautions in place already, but there's nothing new," he said. "We would defer to the proper authorities to deal with it."

"Internally we are aware of this and we are looking into it," EU mission spokeswoman Antonia Zafeiri told AFP.

Another Pal. outlet has it, too:

European and American diplomats in Ramallah told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper that a group of settlers handed them letters last Thursday threatening them over their position on settlements as crossed a military checkpoint into the city...The diplomats, who refused to be named, told al-Hayat, “The settlers handed threatening letters to all the diplomats coming from Jerusalem to their offices in Ramallah as they stood in line at the military checkpoint east of the city, near the Bethel settlement.” The hand-over took place in direct view of Israeli soldiers, according to the diplomats.


The diplomats said they were worried for their lives on account of the threats. One of them told al-Hayat, “I’ve worked here for years and I was working here during the Intifada years. This is the first time I have been threatened. I will be more cautious moving between Jerusalem and Ramallah.”  Other diplomats said they would avoid daily travel in the area in question.  Many Western diplomats work in Ramallah but live with their families in Jerusalem, which forces them to make daily trips between the two cities on roads used by settlers.

The diplomats said the settlers singled out their car by its diplomatic plates and one of them, a youth with a kippot and ringlets, handed them the letter.

Since no one from the US Consulate got in touch, I presume they, too, realize this is not a mainstream project and probably a few former Kachniks involved.


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