According to at least one senior IDF officer in Central Command, responsible for the Chevron area, the youths responsible for the unacceptable behavior and attacks against Israeli security forces in Chevron are not local residents, but outsiders who have come to inflame the situation.

This may be in line with warnings issued on Thursday by MK Uri Ariel, who warned that before judging the Chevron Jewish community based on media reports, one must be certain that the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) has not placed agent provocateurs in the city to arouse tempers and instigate unrests. This was the case in the past, most prominently preceding the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, when agent Avishai Raviv was doing just that – leading and instigating attacks against Israeli officials and security forces, encouraging impressionable youths to engage in illegal activities.

There were reports on Thursday based on official IDF statementss, including in YWN, that Jews damaged the Muslim cemetery in the city, but Chevron community leaders invite anyone to see for themselves, that in essence, there is no damage and the reports are baseless.

Chevron leaders are also investigating the reported attack in which a soldier sustained light injuries when turpentine was hurled at him. The community leaders reiterated they deplore violence against Israeli forces, insisting the community’s children have been raised on Torah values and act accordingly. They also point the finger of blame at Israel Police, who are quick to use force against unarmed civilians, as was the case in Amona.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)