Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night condemned a spate of Jewish vigilante attacks in Judea and Samaria, calling the violence “severe,” “unacceptable,” and a direct assault on the rule of law. He pledged to “personally” oversee efforts to end the phenomenon and ordered senior ministers to meet immediately to coordinate a tougher response.
The statement came after Jewish extremists torched property and vandalized homes in the Arab village of Jaba near Bethlehem following the evacuation of the unauthorized outpost of Tzur Misgavi. The IDF deployed forces to the area, stressing that such attacks undermine security operations and distract troops from counter‑terror missions.
“Violence of any kind harms the security of Israel,” the army said, noting that soldiers were forced to divert significant resources to contain the rioters.
Defense Minister Israel Katz went further, branding the perpetrators “a small, violent, criminal group of anarchists,” and vowed that there would be “no leniency.” Finance Minister Gideon Sa’ar echoed the sentiment, saying the rioters “harm the State of Israel” and “disgrace Judaism,” emphasizing they “are not us.”
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