A disturbing incident occurred on Thursday evening when Jewish residents of the Shomron physically attacked IDF forces.

The incident began with a protest by Jews in the Hawara area, near Shechem, during which Jews took revenge on Palestinians for throwing stones at their cars earlier in the day by throwing stones at Palestinian cars, leading to clashes between Jews and Arabs. The Jews were protesting against the daily terror acts perpetrated against Jews by local Arabs.

IDF forces, led by the commander of the 202nd Paratrooper’s Battalion, engaged in efforts to restore order and were violently attacked by a number of Jews, including the spraying of pepper gas. The commander and a soldier were slightly injured.

The Jews involved in the incident fled the scene afterward but after searches by Israeli security forces, one of the suspects, an IDF soldier himself and resident of the Shomron, was located and arrested on Thursday morning. Further arrests are expected.

In wake of the incident, the IDF issued a sharply worded condemnatory statement. “Violence against security forces is criminal behavior that requires judgment to the fullest extent of the law. The harm of IDF soldiers by settlers, who are protected by them, is wrongful behavior that we must denounce and act against vigorously.”

It should be noted that the Jews who attacked the soldiers are a tiny minority who do not represent the thousands of law-abiding Jewish residents of Yehudah and Shomron who have great appreciation and respect for IDF soldiers.

Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the incident by stating: “First and foremost it is important to say – violence against IDF soldiers is always wrong, and has no place in any situation, ever – and I strongly condemn it. But the fact that the IDF spokesperson chose to issue a statement stating that ‘tonight there was a violent disturbance by dozens of settlers in the Hawara area, in which stones were thrown at Palestinian vehicles,’ without noting that previously stones were thrown at Jews by Palestinians, presenting a false one-sided scenario – is very serious.”

“This is another testimony of the politicization that Benny Gantz is trying to introduce into the IDF. Gantz abandons the lives of the heroic settlers in Yehudah and Shomron, abandons the IDF soldiers and ties their hands in the fight against terrorism, and abandons the security of the State of Israel. The responsibility rests on his shoulders.”

Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated: “I strongly condemn the violence against IDF soldiers and call on the security forces to bring the perpetrators to justice. I also protest the attempt to tarnish a large community of settlers because of the wrongful act of a few. The absolute majority of settlers respect the law, serve in the IDF, and are deeply grateful to our soldiers who protect us all.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)