There is no excuse for violence in the West Bank, on either side - editorial

Shameful scenes erupted in Samaria on Thursday night as scores of Israeli civilians, many of whom were masked, entered the village of Jit near Nablus, hurling stones and Molotov cocktails and setting vehicles and buildings on fire.

One Israeli civilian was arrested by the security forces, and the military said it was examining the report that a Palestinian was killed during the events.

Rasheed Seda, 23, was killed, and another Palestinian civilian was critically wounded by the “settlers’ bullets,” according to a statement from the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry. The IDF said that it has opened an investigation into the incident with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and police.

While all the details have yet to emerge, one only has to imagine how this looks to the outside world as Israel constantly fights the global public diplomacy battle that has been ongoing since October 7. Thursday night plays right into the hands of Hamas, Palestinian terrorism, and those who support it.

In response to the events, the Prime Minister’s Office released a statement which read, “Prime Minister Netanyahu takes seriously the riots that took place this evening in the village of Jit, which included injury to life and property by Israelis who entered the village.”

“Those who fight terrorism are the IDF and the security forces, and no one else,” the statement added. “Those responsible for any criminal act will be caught and prosecuted.”

Right-wing Smotrich condemned the violence 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also issued a statement in response to the events, which read, “The rioters tonight in Jit are not related in any way to the settlement and the settlers. They are criminals who should be dealt with by law enforcement authorities with the full severity of the law.

“We build and develop the settlement in a legal manner, support the IDF in its fight against terrorism, and strongly disapprove of any manifestation of anarchist criminal violence,” Smotrich said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also responded, saying in a statement addressing the violence, “I told the chief of staff this evening that the fact that we do not back soldiers to shoot any terrorist who throws stones leads to events such as that which happened tonight.

“At the same time, it is unequivocally forbidden to take the law into one’s own hands,” Ben-Gvir affirmed.

That said, we are aware of the fact that the vast majority of about half a million Israeli citizens who live in Judea and Samaria are nonviolent and respect the law.

We also cannot ignore the Palestinian terror against Jews that has been perpetrated for decades, resulting in the killing of many more Jews. In 2023, Palestinian terrorism increased significantly in the West Bank, with 179 major attacks compared to 86 – less than half – in 2022.

Do not fire with fire

Some 43 people were killed, including 37 civilians and six security personnel. Additionally, there were numerous stabbing, vehicular and bomb attacks, along with thousands of stone-throwing and Molotov cocktail incidents.

Nevertheless, while we may be at war, and the West Bank is just one front in that war, there is no excuse for violence like that seen on Thursday, and shame on anybody who condones it or thinks it to be acceptable.

This falls under Ben-Gvir’s jurisdiction and comes the week that Israel’s Senior Appointments Advisory Committee pushed to advance the appointment of Israel Police District Asst.-Ch. Daniel Levi to the police commissioner.

Now is particularly the time for Levi and Ben-Gvir to show that there are no sides when it comes to pogroms and that any level of violence directed against innocent Palestinians is completely unacceptable.

Ben-Gvir’s ideology is well-known, and it would not be a stretch of the imagination to think that at a different period in his life, his statements after the violence would also have been different. However, he is now the national security minister, and under his watch, national security has degenerated.

As opposed to Palestinian terrorists, Israelis who commit crimes within the West Bank are tried in Israel’s civilian courts, and despite the geography of where they live, they will be treated and judged the same as if they live in Eilat, Netanya, or Afula.

Violence and disruption of the lives of civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli, should be denounced – and has been by a majority of Israeli leaders.