Olmert lashes out at Jewish vigilantes

JERUSALEM, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Jewish settlers who force Palestinians out of the West Bank could soon face a response from the Israeli government, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says.

Olmert said during his weekly Cabinet meeting that individuals who take part in vigilante actions in the West Bank will be punished, the Voice of America reported Sunday.

"The state of Israel does not allow pogroms against non-Jews," Olmert said, referring to a recent attack against a Palestinian village.

Yet Olmert's decision to use the term "pogroms" in his statement has angered some West Bank settlement leaders as it traditionally refers to the persecution of Jews, the Voice of America said.

Settlement officials also blamed the prime minister for accusing the wrong side in the ongoing territorial conflict in the West Bank.

"Violence begets violence, and in my indication and sources, the violence started from the Arab side," settlement activist Yisrael Meidad told the U.S. network.