9:21pm UK, Thursday December 04, 2008

Dominic Waghorn, Middle East correspondent

The West Bank city of Hebron is bracing itself for more violence following the eviction of hundreds of Jewish settlers from a disputed building.

Israeli police restrain a settler as they evacuate extremists from a disputed house

Jewish right-wingers had occupied the house since early last year but were ordered to leave by Israel’s highest court last month.

The house had become a symbol of the determination of settlers to seize more land in the West Bank.

In choosing to stay, they were taking on the Israeli state and for now the Israeli state has won. But that is not likely to be the end of the matter.

The operation to remove them was a textbook exercise inusing surprise and overwhelming force.

Settlers had hoped to tough it out in a protracted siege but in the end were all dragged out by Israeli police in less than half an hour.

Inside the building, authorities found evidence that the settlers were prepared to use violent methods against their own police and army.

Rocks were piled to be thrown at security forces, including a Palestinian gravestone taken from a nearby cemetery. There were also signs of acid Molotov cocktails being prepared to be hurled at intruders.

The settlers are extremists who believe the West Bank is Jewish by divine right and prepared to use radical means to claim it.

They have promised to retaliate against this eviction. Avshalom Peled, the commander of the operation, told Sky News he had no doubt they would do so.

Before nightfall a number of Palestinian homes had been attacked by settlers and partially set on fire.

In another incident signifying spiralling violence, an Israeli settler also drew a gun and opened fire on Palestinians, before being beaten to the ground and pelted with stones.

Minutes later more settlers came to his aid, armed with submachine guns.

Hebron has a long history of bloody violence. It is volatile at the best of times and faces a long and very tense weekend.