IDF soldiers stood by while extremist Jewish rioters set fire to a Palestinian home in the West Bank and beat an elderly man, Army Radio reported on Tuesday.
According to Army Radio, the soldiers arrived at the village of Jalud after the rioters arrived, then stood by their vehicles for around five minutes without taking action against any of the 12 settlers who participated in the event.
Eyewitnesses said that one of the soldiers told the rioters to leave, or else they would be arrested, allowing most of them to escape. Only one out of the 12 Israelis was arrested.
Other eyewitnesses claimed that the Jewish rioters behaved violently against IDF troops and Border Police officers in the area: intentionally ramming an IDF vehicle, placing roadblocks to hamper Border Police vehicles from arriving at the scene, and even, in one case, allegedly threatening to murder a unit commander.
The IDF did not deny the allegations against it, Army Radio reported, explaining that the decision to arrest only one of the twelve rioters was made due to the law enforcement members being outnumbered, as well as in order to prioritize dispersing the confrontation and extinguishing the fire.
The West Bank has seen an upturn in violence from Israelis against Palestinian residents in recent months.
Last week, Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence reported that two Palestinians had been killed in the village of Mughayir, including one child, after Israeli settlers attacked a local school.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society later confirmed that two Palestinians had been killed, a 14-year-old and a 32-year-old. It also stated that four others had been wounded by gunfire during the incident.
Earlier this month, hundreds of Israelis protested against settler violence at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, with several individuals and activists injured in the West Bank violence speaking at the protest.
Tour guide Oded Papourish, an Israeli activist injured in the village of Kusra last month, emphasized at the protest that settler violence “relies on the understanding that Israel’s law enforcement will always stand by their side.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
