Several dozen settlers rampaged through the Palestinian West Bank village of Umm Safa on Saturday, setting fire to vehicles and homes. This was the fifth straight day of vigilante attacks against Palestinian civilians since a deadly Palestinian terrorist attack on Tuesday.
Palestinian media reported that settlers in the village north of Ramallah burned down several houses and cars and some shot at a Palestinian TV crew. Video footage showed a group of partially masked Israeli settlers opening fire.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health said stones were fired at an ambulance that was driving past the village, and the driver was slightly injured.
Israeli human rights group Yesh Din claimed that Israel Defense Forces troops were present at the scene but did nothing to stop the settlers. The IDF said it had detained an Israeli suspect and settled “violent clashes” between settlers and Palestinians.
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According to Army Radio, the settlers had driven into the village to carry out the attack. Devout Jews do not drive on the Sabbath unless it is necessary to save a life. The basis for this is the Jewish legal principle Pikuah Nefesh – as it is called in Hebrew – which surpasses almost all other religious requirements.
During the attack on Umm Safa, a soldier was slightly injured by a stone thrown at him, the IDF said. It was unclear who threw the stone.
“The IDF will continue to act decisively to stop all violence and property destruction. “The IDF condemns such incidents of nationalist crime,” the military said in a statement.
The arrested settler was handed over to the police for further questioning, the IDF said.
The IDF’s international media spokesman also condemned the settlers’ unrest and condemned the “acts of terrorism”.
“Disgraceful deeds on the Sabbath,” Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht replied on Twitter to the German ambassador. “We’re not. These are acts of terrorism committed by criminals. We do what we can.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the violence “crosses all borders”.
“Lighting the homes and cars of innocent people is inhumane and definitely not Jewish. Prime Minister Netanyahu must condemn this disgrace and take strong action against it. “This is a moral disgrace and a security threat,” Lapid tweeted.
The IDF has admitted that it has failed to stop other settler uprisings in recent days.
Revenge attacks on Turmus Ayya and other villages followed the killing of four Israelis by Palestinian gunmen in a terrorist attack on Tuesday.
Army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the troops tried to prevent the Israelis from attacking Turmus Ayya but were too weak.
“We didn’t have enough forces in the area they chose in the first wave,” he told journalists on Friday.
“We failed this time,” Hagari added.
Residents of Turmus Ayya told AFP they saw between 200 and 300 Israelis rampage through their village on Wednesday, attacking residents and damaging dozens of homes and cars. One Palestinian was killed in unclear circumstances during the violence
A delegation of more than 20 diplomatic missions, including those from the European Union and the United States, visited the village on Friday to assess the damage.
A delegation examines a torched house during a tour of the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, days after a settler killing spree, Friday, June 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
The EU’s top representative to the Palestinians, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, criticized Israel for failing to meet its obligations to protect the Palestinians.
“There was no attempt or attempt to stop the settlers,” he said.
Israeli police said on Friday they had arrested four people in connection with the violence, without giving details. They were interrogated by the Shin Bet security service.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk warned that “the violence combined with the inflammatory rhetoric only serves to drive Israelis and Palestinians deeper into the abyss.”