Extremist settler ‘crimes’ endanger Israel, IDF chief says

The IDF won’t tolerate any nationalist crimes committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said Monday, referring to the storming an IDF post and the destruction of army property in the settlement of Yitzhar last week. Such crimes constitute a threat to Israel’s national security, he said.

In an interview with Army Radio, Gantz said that failing to respond to such incidents with a heavy hand would result in future terrorist activity carried out by extremist settlers in the West Bank.

“The nationalist crimes will develop into terrorism, and that would be a significant threat to the State of Israel,” Gantz said.

“We will continue to ensure security and [enforce] the law,” he added.

The IDF chief added that the illegal activity was not representative of the settler community at large.

“The dangerous and inadmissible extremism is very bad, but does not represent the majority of the settlers in the West Bank,” he said.

Gantz expressed his admiration for the IDF soldiers who operate in the Yitzhar area, and said he was hurt by the unfair treatment they encountered while protecting the settlements’ residents.

“I am hurt on the behalf of the fighters in the field, who risk their lives for security, if this is the answer they receive,” he said. “It is important for society to cherish the soldiers, these people make every effort to ensure [Israel’s] security.”

Gantz’s comments came after a series of increasingly violent confrontations last week between residents of the Yitzhar settlement and security forces. On Tuesday, residents raided an IDF command post near the settlement after security forces pulled down a number of illegal buildings.

Army reservists stationed in the settlement failed to turn back a rioting mob of dozens of settlers, who demolished their post and equipment in a violent predawn incident.

The settlers were protesting the overnight demolition of five illegal buildings in the West Bank community. The attack began just after the five structures were demolished by soldiers and policemen, according to police spokeswoman Luba Samri.

Some 50 Jewish rioters then attacked the military headquarters in the settlement in an attempt to tear the structure down. They also hurled stones, burned tires and slashed tires on vehicles, police said.

According to a military source, during the melee the settlers threatened the soldiers, all reservists, telling them to stand aside to avoid getting hurt. They then began to destroy army property in the settlement.

Eight people, including six Border Police guards, were injured. All of the military equipment at the site was destroyed, including tents, heating equipment, a toilet, and a water tank.

On Thursday, a Border Police company was positioned in the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva building in Yitzhar. According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the structure was selected “based on security needs to prevent violence and vandalism targeting security personnel and the adjacent villages originating from the yeshiva.”