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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/settler-violence-turns-inward--iof-attacked--security-post-b">english.almayadeen.net</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Settler violence turns inward: IOF attacked, security post burned</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Mayadeen English</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">June 30, 2025</div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>Settler
violence mainly aimed at Palestinians has now targeted the IOF, with
rioters torching a military post and assaulting soldiers in the occupied
West Bank.</p><div><ul id="gmail-content-slick-0"><div aria-hidden="false"><li>
<a href="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/6/30/538143a6-d636-4dd0-ba22-626b199198e4.jpeg?v=3&width=1000" tabindex="0"><img src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/6/30/538143a6-d636-4dd0-ba22-626b199198e4.jpeg?v=3&width=1000&preset=w700" alt="Members of Israeli occupation forces patrol a street during a raid in the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams. Thursday August 29, 2024. (AP)" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img"></a>
IOF soldiers patrol a street during a raid in the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (<em>AP</em>)
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<p>Dozens of Israeli settlers torched a security site and clashed with the <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-forces-raid-west-bank-villages-amid-settler-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israeli army in the occupied West</a> Bank late Sunday, deepening a growing internal rift within "Israel" amid <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/settlers-shoot-and-assault-palestinians-in-hizma--masafer-ya" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rising settler violence against</a> Palestinians.</p>
<p>Settler violence against Palestinians across the West Bank <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-settlers-storm-al-buraq-wall--attack-palestinians-in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">occurs almost daily</a>,
typically without consequence; suspects are seldom arrested, and
prosecutions are even rarer. The pattern has drawn increasing
international condemnation and led to growing sanctions by Western
nations.</p>
<p>The unrest comes just days after settlers physically assaulted a
senior Israeli army officer near the village of Kafr Malik, with the
attack culminating in multiple coordinated attacks against Israeli
forces and infrastructure, as per Israeli media.</p>
<p>Settlers gathered outside the Binyamin Regional Brigade base, some
carrying a banner accusing the battalion commander of treason. They
hurled rocks, sprayed mace, and slashed army vehicle tires in an attempt
to storm the base. The Israeli army responded with stun grenades to
disperse the crowd, but no arrests were made, Israeli media reported.</p>
<p>Separately, settlers set fire to a security facility near Ramallah,
which the Israeli military said was used to \u201cthwart terror attacks and
maintain security.\u201d Despite the severity of the attack, the Shin Bet has
yet to announce any arrests, as per the Israeli media.</p>
<p>In a rare statement, the Israeli army condemned the settler violence,
\u201cThe IDF condemns any act of violence against security forces... and
expects security forces to bring to justice Israeli civilians who harm
security personnel.\u201d</p>
<h2>Settlers riot and walk free; Palestinians face bullets for existing</h2>
<p>Tensions <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-raids-in-the-west-bank--7-palestinians-arrested--1-kille" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flared days earlier in Kafr Malik</a>,
where settlers sought to re-establish an illegal outpost on Palestinian
land. At the time, Israeli occupation forces killed three Palestinians.
Meanwhile, around 70 settlers ambushed military personnel, physically
assaulting soldiers, including a battalion commander, and slashing
police vehicle tires. Riot control measures were used, but no live
ammunition was fired, and only six settlers were detained, as per
Israeli media.</p>
<p>Roughly two hours later, another violent confrontation unfolded when a
masked group of settlers ambushed an Israeli military patrol about six
kilometers away. Believing the attackers were Palestinians, the
commanding <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/70-martyred-in-west-bank-since-start-of-year--majority-from" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officer immediately fired live shots</a>.</p>
<p>Had the individuals <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-intensifies-raids--arrests--and-home-seizures-in-west-ba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indeed been Palestinian</a>,
they would likely have been shot dead on the spot. It was only upon
realizing the perpetrators were settlers that the officer held back,
laying bare the selective, often lethal, rules of engagement that
dictate who lives and who dies in the occupied West Bank.</p>
<p>Upon realizing they were Israeli settlers, he attempted arrests but
faced threats and verbal abuse, including one settler yelling: \u201cI\u2019ll
shoot you in the head, you son of a w****.\u201d The settlers then fled.</p>
<p>Roughly 30 minutes later, a 14-year-old settler arrived at a military
post with a bullet wound, Israeli media reported. The settlers
accompanying him refused to explain how he was injured. While
unconfirmed, the Israeli army noted the officer acted \u201ccompletely
according to protocol,\u201d raising questions about the use of live
ammunition and the assumptions guiding engagement.</p>
<p>A senior officer commented bluntly, \u201cIf a person who threatens our
forces is hit, it\u2019s his problem. What is a 14-year-old boy doing masked
and throwing stones at an army patrol?\u201d</p>
<h2>Wider context</h2>
<p>Although some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s
far-right coalition openly back extremist settlers, the latest incident
drew rare condemnations by Israelis.</p>
<p>These violent incidents highlight a growing fracture within the
settler community and military establishment in "Israel". While settler
violence against Palestinians is frequent and often ignored, direct
attacks on Israeli soldiers have pushed the military to respond more
forcefully, albeit still without arrests or serious consequences.</p>
<p>Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a staunch supporter of the settler
movement, who had earlier criticized the army\u2019s use of live fire, said
the settlers had crossed a red line, \u201cCriminals are criminals are
criminals in every place in the country.\u201d However, others in the ruling
coalition downplayed the attacks. Likud MK Avihai Boaron described the
assailants as \u201cmarginalized youth,\u201d claiming, \u201cA rock is a rock, but the
throwing hand is not the same throwing hand.\u201d</p>
<p>Security Minister Israel Katz last year ended administrative detention for settlers, a policy that <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-settlers--backed-by-occupation-forces--assault-pales" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remains in place for Palestinians</a>.
Meanwhile, the head of the Israeli police\u2019s West Bank division is under
investigation for ignoring settler violence to curry favor with Police
Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, yet he continues to serve in his post.</p></div></div></div>
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