Netanyahu Condemns ‘Extremist’ Settlers After Fresh Attacks on Palestinians and Israeli Police in West Bank

Prime Minister Netanyahu, having issued a rare condemnation against Israeli settlers who attacked both Palestinian civilians and Israeli Border Police in the West Bank, is vowing to deal with the issue “personally.”Dozens of Israeli settlers launched a new round of attacks on Tuesday, burning cars and homes belonging to Palestinians in the village of Jaba near Bethlehem following a demolition of the illegal settler outpost of Tzur Misgavi nearby. Israeli border police clashed with a large group of settlers ahead of the demolition, leading to wounded police officers and the arrest of six people. Another attack took place at the Palestinian village of Umm al-Butm in the southern West Bank, where a 66-year-old Palestinian woman was reportedly evacuated.Following the attacks on Tuesday evening the IDF said Israeli security forces conducted “searches to locate involved individuals.”Mr. Netanyahu issued a statement saying he views with “great severity the violent disturbances and the attempt to take the law into their own hands by a small, extremist group that does not represent the residents of Judea and Samaria.” “I call on the law enforcement authorities to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law. I intend to deal with this personally, and convene the relevant ministers as soon as possible to address this serious phenomenon. I stand by the IDF and the security forces, which will continue to act resolutely and without fear to maintain order,” Mr. Netanyahu added. Defence Minister Yisrael Katz also issued a statement, saying he won’t tolerate attempts by a “small violent and criminal group of anarchist lawbreakers to take the law into their own hands, stain the reputation of the settlers, harm IDF soldiers, undermine order, or divert our forces from their mission of defending Israeli citizens and thwarting Palestinian terror.”Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the “Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria harm the State of Israel, disgrace Judaism, and cause damage to the settlement project. They are not us. They are not the State of Israel.”A far-right coalition lawmaker, Limor Son Har-Melech from the Jewish Power party, meanwhile raged against the demolition of the illegal outpost, attacking Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a position in the defence ministry, overseeing civilian matters in the West Bank. “Bezalel, this is on you! I saw that you’re referring to the eviction of the residents as if it’s just another TikTok trend. The administrative forces you’re responsible for are beating the residents, shooting them with stun grenades and gas. The evacuation you’ve taken responsibility for is escalating from moment to moment, and this is on you,” she said. “I’m begging you. Stop the forces immediately before someone gets killed there. And yes, Bezalel, religious Zionism is evacuating settlements,” she added, referring to Mr. Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party. Daniella Weiss, a leading figure in the settlement movement, also lashed out at the government, saying: “The public is urged to come urgently to prevent the destruction of dozens of homes. The wild attack on the hilltop youth was a psychological prelude meant to prepare the ground for harming settlement points.” Hilltop youth is a reference to a violent faction.

Netanyahu Condemns ‘Extremist’ Settlers After Fresh Attacks on Palestinians and Israeli Police in West Bank

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