Israeli soldier arrested for joining settler attack on IDF unit in West Bank
Israeli army chief and PM Lapid slam ‘criminal’ behavior from the settlers, who threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and attacked soldiers with pepper spray, injuring a general and another soldier
Palestinian protesters confront Israeli troops at the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank on May 18, 2021. Photo by Getty Images
This article originally appeared on Haaretz, and was reprinted here with permission. Sign up here to get Haaretz’s free Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid described the assailants as “dangerous criminals” who “must be punished without hesitation. They are endangering the lives of our soldiers and are harming the State of Israel.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz condemned “the violence against the IDF soldiers [in the West Bank].” He said that “we will work to bring to justice the perpetrators who do not represent the settlements and harm the ability to provide security to the citizens of Israel and the residents of the area. The IDF soldiers have full backing to continue to operate and carry out their mission.”
The IDF chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, also condemned the attack, calling it a “violent and criminal behavior that requires immediate treatment.”
Religious Zionism lawmakers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir also both condemned the attack.
Last week, dozens of settlers attacked Palestinian property and vehicles in the Hawara area. According to Palestinian witnesses, masked settlers threw rocks at Palestinian vehicles near the town and set fire to a truck and a café in the area. Around the nearby settlement of Yitzhar, settlers reportedly set fire to olive trees.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
