Hours after the deadly attack today (Sunday) in which Hillel Weigal Yaniv, a resident of Har Bracha, was murdered, severe clashes broke out in Hawara, south of Nablus. A Palestinian was killed during the riots, and about 15 houses and dozens of vehicles were set on fire. The Red Crescent reported dozens of Palestinian casualties in the clashes.
According to the reports, hundreds of settlers arrived in the village and set dozens of shops, houses and cars on fire – in revenge for the attack earlier today. A number of settlers were slightly injured when stones were thrown at them. MGB forces and a reserve battalion arrived at the scene, but they are having difficulty controlling the situation.
The scene of the attack, earlier today / Photo: Reuters, Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
In the political system they try to calm the spirits
In response to the events, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called “not to take the law into your own hands”: “I ask, even when the blood is hot and the spirits are hot – not to take the law into your own hands. I ask to let the IDF and the security forces do their job. I remind you that in the last few weeks they have eliminated dozens of terrorists and prevented dozens of terrorist attacks.”
The president, Yitzhak Herzog, also called for calm: “Taking the law into our hands, riots and violence against the innocent – are not our way and I strongly condemn it. We must allow the IDF, the Israel Police and the security forces to capture the despicable terrorist and restore order immediately.”
The chairman of the opposition, Yair Lapid, blamed the coalition for the situation. According to him, “Smotrich’s militias set out to burn Hvara in order to torpedo the summit in Aqaba of Netanyahu and Gallant. This government is dangerous for Israel’s security.”