Settlers raid West Bank village in PA-run area; IDF, arriving on scene, lets them flee

Settlers raided the West Bank village of Jurish near Nablus and attempted to break into a building on the outskirts of the town, Palestinian media outlets reported on Friday.

Footage from the scene shows a settler attempting to kick a group of Palestinians and solidarity activists who are trying to block him from entering the building.

The IDF eventually arrived at the village, which is located in Area B of the West Bank, where settlers are not legally allowed to enter. Under the terms of the 1990s-era Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority is meant to run day-to-day affairs in Area B while the IDF has security control.

The Kan public broadcaster reported that the soldiers who arrived, however, allowed the settlers to flee the scene instead of detaining them and handing them over to the police.

Then, the IDF issued a closed military zone order for the area, which activists say has become a common tool used by the army, as it forces the activists to leave, making the Palestinian residents more exposed to future attacks from settlers.

There was no immediate comment from the IDF.

יש תקריות מהסוג הזה כל יום, הנה דוגמה לאחת מהבוקר, בכפר הפלסטיני ג׳וריש באזור שכם: פעילי מאחזים מנסים לפלוש בכוח לבית בשטח B. מגיע כוח צה״ל, לא עוצר אף אחד מהתוקפים, מוציא צו שטח צבאי סגור ומעכב כמה פלסטינים שמסרבים להתפנות (מתוך כפר פלסטיני). איך קוראים לזה באוגדת איו״ש המורתעת:… pic.twitter.com/EGQS2nkhpZ

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5 Palestinians arrested for allegedly attacking settlers

In a separate incident, five Palestinian suspects were detained for allegedly attacking Israeli settlers in the southern West Bank on Friday, Israel Police said.

The police said the department received a report from two settlers claiming to have come under a stone-throwing attack while shepherding near the illegal outpost of Maale Tidhar, leaving them with light injuries.

Israeli forces reached the scene soon afterward, and the Palestinian suspects fled to the nearby village of Sa’ir, according to the police.

IDF troops entered the Palestinian village and detained five suspects, who were handed over to the police.

After being questioned, the suspects were jailed pending the investigation, police added.

Palestinian media claimed that the settlers had attacked Palestinians in an area near Sa’ir first, before the army arrived and carried out the arrests.

Farming outposts have become a preferred tool for settler leaders in recent years, as they allow for the seizure of large swaths of land throughout the West Bank. They only require a small number of young settlers who use livestock grazing to clear areas of Palestinians.

Israel has come under fire for rarely carrying out arrests in near-daily instances of settler violence, with indictments and convictions even more infrequent.

Shin Bet figures from earlier this year found that three times more Palestinians were victims of terror attacks in the West Bank than Jews.

Attacks regularly take place on Friday nights and Saturdays, during the Jewish Sabbath, a day of rest, even though many of the alleged perpetrators are religious Jews.