Earlier this week, there was an attack on an Israeli military outpost outside of Yitzhar, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.
It started with stones being thrown at the soldiers’ quarters. The site was then ravaged by hundreds of rioters. They slashed tents, destroyed a water tank, a heater, a toilet and other military equipment. Six soldiers were injured, all reservists.
The attack followed the military’s attempt to demolish several illegal structures built in the area. To prevent the soldiers from following their orders, the perpetrators burned tires and attempted to block roads. They also threw stones and slashed the tires of military vehicles.
According to Haaretz, the soldiers “watched as the rioters vandalized equipment and did not use the means they had available to stop them.”
The attackers were Jewish settlers, which helps to explain the soldier’s confusion. Several perpetrators have since been arrested, with more expected to come soon.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has referred to the attack as an act of “domestic terrorism,” and has vowed that “the State of Israel will not tolerate such criminal activity, terrorism in all respects.”
The IDF released the following statement:
The IDF takes this type of incident very seriously. Harming IDF commanders and their soldiers, who work day and night to protect the residents of the state of Israel, is crossing a red line.
Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein is holding consultations to determine how to move forward in light of such incidents.
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