General of the Central Command, Yehuda Fox, said today (Tuesday) in an interview with Michal Rabinovitch on the evening news in Khan 11 that the army was not well prepared for the riots that took place in Havara village by Jewish rioters, which he called “acts of terror and intimidation”. According to Fox, “We were not prepared for the pogrom as it was there. We were not prepared for many dozens of people coming with Molotov cocktails and incendiary devices, and 20 points or more of arson and acts of terror and intimidation of the population there.”
Listen to the full interview of Central Command Major Yehuda Fox on the evening news
“After the attack, we prepared for incidents of violence all over Judea and Samaria, from the south to the north. We prepared for disturbances as there were in the past, we increased forces, but we did not prepare for something like this,” Fox said. “Almost after every terrorist attack there are announcements to come and demonstrate here or there, and we thought that in light of the difficult event, there would be a significant demonstration and confrontations, but we did not think it would be like this. I hope this thing will stop, because it is not ethical, not Israeli, not Jewish and not relevant.”
Regarding the violence against soldiers by Israeli civilians, Fox said: “The fighters were beaten, bitten, punched and pushed. This is an event that we must come to our senses and stop, because there will be deaths here.” Regarding the fear of an increase in the phenomenon, he said: “We should let the IDF, the police and the MGB deal with security, and even those who think that we are not doing what we are doing properly, in this country there are security bodies that are responsible for that, and no one should take away the law Hands down. No lawman does what they do. We don’t randomly throw stones at people.”
General Fox denied the claim that the ministerial changes affected the territory and gave a boost to the rioters. “This incident is not ministerial, it is first of all related to me. I and Central Command are responsible for what was there and what happens in terrorist incidents,” replied Fox. On Ben Gvir’s arrival at the Avitar outpost during the hunt for the terrorists: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s okay for ministers to do what they think is right to do. This area is a closed military area, but MKs have immunity that allows them to enter, and they exercised their right and immunity.”
At the beginning of the week, hundreds of Jews set fire to about 50 vehicles and more than 15 houses of Palestinians in riots in Hawara village. The huge riots come after the shooting attack that took place near the village, in which the brothers Hillel Menachem, 21 years old, and Weigal Yaakov Yaniv, 20 years old, residents of Har Bracha in the Shomron Regional Council, were murdered.