Israelis responsible for mob attacks in West Bank will be brought to justice says Netanyahu

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) August 15, 2024

Security forces arrested an Israeli citizen and turned him over to the Israeli police, according to the IDF, which said it is investigating the report that a Palestinian was killed during the incident.

The Palestinian Authority health ministry named the victim as 23-year-old Rashid Sedda. Another Palestinian civilian was critically wounded by the “settlers bullets,” they said. They called the Attack “organized state terrorism”. Israeli secruity sources said it was not yet clear who had shot the victims.

Reports coming out of Jit say settlers fired bullets and tear gas at residents. Nasser Sedda, the head of Jit’s village council, told CNN: “We haven’t seen anything like this before, and without a prior warning. They caught the people off guard – women, children, and elders were there”. Videos show residents attempting to put out fires in buildings and vehicles.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it treated three injuries in Jit, including an elderly woman suffering from gas inhalation, and two young men hit with stones.

"Following the serious incident, a joint investigation was opened by the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Israel Police," the Israeli army stated in Hebrew. "The IDF condemns events of this type and the rioters, who harm security, law and order, and divert the IDF and the security forces from their main mission of thwarting terrorism and protecting the security of the residents."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that he "views with utmost severity the disturbances that took place, this evening in Jit, which included attacks on people and property by Israelis who entered the village."

"It is the IDF and the security forces that fight terrorism, and nobody else," he said. "Those responsible for any offense will be apprehended and tried."

President Isaac Herzog said he “strongly condemns” the violence. “This is an extreme minority that harms the law-abiding community of [settlers] and the settlement movement as a whole, in addition to harming the global reputation of Israel during a particularly sensitive and difficult period,” he said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote that "at a time when our troops are fighting on the frontlines, defending the State of Israel, a group of radical individuals have launched a riot, and attacked innocent people."

"They do not represent the values of the communities living in the West Bank," Gallant added. "I strongly condemn any form of violence and fully support the IDF, ISA and Israeli Police in fulfilling their roles and addressing this issue. Violent, radical riots are the opposite of every code and value upheld by the State of Israel."

The White House condemned the “unacceptable” violence against Palestinians. “Attacks by violent settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are unacceptable and must stop,” a spokesperson from the National Security Council said.

The American Jewish Committee also condemned "strongly" the "actions of the extremist Israeli settlers who violently attacked the Palestinian village of Jit in the West Bank, killing one person, injuring others and burning cars and houses."

"Their actions, which have been condemned by numerous Israeli officials, including the prime minister and president, contradict Jewish and Israeli values. Security forces must swiftly act to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators," the AJC said. "Our thoughts are with the victims and families of this senseless violence."

Yossi Dagan, head of the Regional Council, and Ozel Vatik, head of the Kedumim Council, blamed teenagers from outside the West Bank for the violence, saying that "we wish to say in a clear way in no uncertain terms: Even after the throwing of rocks, no one has the right to take the law into their own hands," according to Israeli news outlet Arutz Sheva.

"A group arrived of teenagers, most of whom are not from Samaria at all. A group of Israelis entered the village of Jit, and as a result, severe clashes developed between Arabs from the village, which included mutual attacks," the two said. "Those who come to cause disorder and violence—do not come to Samaria."

"We are already dealing here with terrorism, political difficulties from within the country and abroad, and we do not need your acts of violence and the bad name you give to the communities in Judea and Samaria, and to the entire State of Israel," they added.

"But we stress the obvious," they said. "The handling of terrorists and supporters of terrorism must be left to the IDF. Violent acts like we saw in Jit must not happen and have no place."

Settler violence has spiked since October 7, but was on the rise even before the Hamas attacks. Perpetrators are rarely arrested, and convictions are even less common. According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 630 Palestinians living in the West Bank have been killed since October 7. The IDF say the vast majority were gunmen, terrorists, or rioters who clashed with troops.