Smotrich calls Jit rampage ‘criminal anarchist violence,’ says attackers don’t represent settlers

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a minister in the Defense Ministry in charge of settlement affairs, says tonight’s storming of the Palestinian town of Jit “are not connected in any way to the settlement enterprise or to settlers.”

“They are criminals who should be dealt with to the full extent of the law by law enforcement authorities,” Smotrich says.

“We build and develop the settlements in a legal and stately manner, back the IDF in its struggle against terror, and strongly disagree with any display of criminal anarchist violence that has absolutely nothing to do with love of the land and settlement of it.”

Smotrich’s reaction is markedly different from his reaction last year to a similar settler rampage in the West Bank town of Huwara. Days after that incident, he triggered an international outcry by saying Huwara “needs to be wiped out” and that “the State of Israel should do it.”