Extremist settlers in the West Bank set vehicles and two homes on fire in the Palestinian village of al-Jaba on Monday, hours after security forces tore down the unauthorized outpost of Tzur Misgavi in Gush Etzion. Two Palestinians were reportedly wounded. Israeli security forces had arrived at the scene, but no arrests were made. The military said shortly afterward that searches are ongoing for suspects.
Diab Mashaaleh, head of the al-Jaba village council, said groups of settlers entered the village, attacked several homes and torched residents’ cars.
Extremist settlers set cars and home on fire in Palestinian village
The assault followed Israel’s removal earlier in the day of about 20 structures at Tzur Misgavi, near the settlement of Metzad. Four people were arrested during the operation and two Border Police officers were injured. Security officials said the outpost had served as a staging point for extremists involved in nationalist crimes against Palestinians. After the evacuation, settlers were also documented vandalizing property in the South Hebron Hills and the Wadi Saeer area.
The West Bank has seen a sharp rise in attacks by Jewish extremists in recent weeks. On Thursday settlers burned a mosque in the village of Deir Istiya near Nablus and spray-painted hate graffiti. Last Tuesday about 100 Israeli rioters entered the village of Beit Lid, assaulted Palestinians, wounded four, vandalized homes and set vehicles on fire. Some also attacked soldiers who arrived to detain them and punctured the tires of a battalion commander’s jeep.
Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth warned that “by a miracle we have no fatalities” and urged firm action. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir condemned the attacks as “a red line” that harms the military’s mission. President Isaac Herzog also issued a condemnation.
Amid the absence of administrative detention orders for extremist settlers, new Shin Bet director David Zini has ordered a review of using electronic ankle bracelets as a monitoring tool. The proposal is being considered at the political level after Defense Minister Israel Katz ended the use of administrative detention for Israeli citizens last year and directed the Shin Bet to propose alternatives.
Following the incident, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he gives his “full backing” to Bluth.
“We will not tolerate attempts by a small, violent, criminal group of anarchistic law-breakers to take the law into their own hands and tarnish the settler public, and we will not allow them to harm IDF soldiers, undermine order, or divert forces from their missions of protecting the citizens of Israel and thwarting Palestinian terrorism,” Katz said in a statement.
“There will be no leniency toward anyone who resorts to violence. The security forces will continue operating on the ground, and we will continue to give them full support,” he continued
Katz said that in the coming weeks, a decision will be brought for government approval that will give Col. (res.) Avichai Tanami, who was named earlier this year as a czar to handle extremist settlers in the West Bank, “tools and a budget” for “extensive and systemic action.” “I am confident this will lead to a significant change on the ground,” Katz added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the incident, saying he views such actions “with utmost severity” and plans to promptly work out a response to the incident.
“I view the violent riots and the attempt to take the law into one’s own hands by a small extremist group – which does not represent the settlers in Judea and Samaria — with utmost severity,” the premier said in a message from his office, using the biblical term for the West Bank.
Netanyahu called on law enforcement authorities “to apply the full weight of the law to the rioters,” adding: “I intend to address this personally and convene the relevant ministers as soon as possible in order to respond to this serious phenomenon.”
“I express my support for the IDF and the security forces, who will continue to act firmly and without fear to maintain order,” he concluded.