Netanyahu condemns ‘handful of extremists’ who raided Arab village
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement criticising Israelis who, on Monday night, raided an Arab village near Bethlehem, setting fires and committing acts of vandalism.
Settlers
“I view with great seriousness the violent riots and the attempt to take the law into their own hands by a handful of extremists who do not represent the settlers in Judea and Samaria,” he said, calling on law enforcement authorities to “bring the rioters to justice.”
Netanyahu also said he intends to address this personally and convene the “relevant ministers as soon as possible to provide a response to this serious phenomenon.”
“I am strengthening the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the security forces, who will continue to act with determination and without fear in order to maintain order,” he added.
In Australia, AIJAC Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein said, “Israel is a rule of law country, and among the overwhelmingly peaceful and law-abiding settler community, there is a small number of violent, extremist people who regularly attack Palestinian individuals, property and crops for nationalist reasons.
What’s more, figures confirm that these attacks have been escalating in recent months, including some particularly heinous attacks on innocent Palestinians and their property in the Nablus-Tulkarem area last week.
AIJAC has long condemned these violent and indefensible actions and continues to do so. We welcome the recent strong comments by Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir condemning this violence and promising to stop it.
TPS-IL
