RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: The Israeli military’s top commander in the occupied West Bank condemned recent violence by Israeli settlers against police and “unacceptable” conduct by soldiers, in a video shared by the army on Friday.
A military statement said that Major General Avi Bluth addressed a “series of unusual incidents” while visiting Israeli police officers in the West Bank, near the site of a riot involving settlers earlier this week.
Israeli police said they had arrested 17 suspects over the “violent riot” on Wednesday near the settlement outpost of Givat Habaladim, northeast of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, during which Israeli settlers threw stones at officers and torched a police car.
Bluth “emphasized that these are exceptional incidents that must be addressed with the necessary severity,” the military statement said.
Referring to the settlers’ attack on Israeli forces, Bluth said in the video: “Beyond the fact that this is a red line that has been crossed and will be dealt with seriously, there is no greater act of ingratitude.”
Rights groups often accuse the army of protecting Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and the United Nations has said that settler attacks against Palestinians are taking place in a climate of “impunity.”
In a recent incident Bluth did not address in the video, the army said that this week “dozens of Israeli civilians... set fire to property” in the Palestinian village of Duma, injuring several people.
The Israeli general mentioned “vandalism and graffiti” by reserve soldiers during a military raid on Wednesday, in the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem.
While a major offensive since January has focused on refugee camps in the northern West Bank, Dheisheh in the south has seen an uptick in Israeli army raids in recent weeks.
Images shared on social media showed vandalized apartments, where furniture was broken and Israeli nationalist slogans spray painted on walls.
Bluth said that “the conduct in Dheisheh by our reserve soldiers is not what we stand for.”
“Vandalism and graffiti during an operational mission are, from our perspective, unacceptable incidents. It is inconceivable that IDF (army) soldiers do not act according to their commanders’ orders,” he said.
Since war began in October 2023 in the Gaza Strip — a separate Palestinian territory — violence has soared in the West Bank.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 917 Palestinians, including militants, in the West Bank since October 2023, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
Palestinian attacks and clashes during military raids have killed at least 33 Israelis, including soldiers, over the same period, according to official figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, home to about three million Palestinians, since 1967.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, around 490,000 Israelis live there in settlements and outposts that are illegal under international law. Outposts are also illegal under Israeli law.
Israeli general condemns West Bank settler riot, ‘vandalism’ by troops
https://arab.news/gxc5r
Israeli general condemns West Bank settler riot, ‘vandalism’ by troops
- Major General Avi Bluth addressed a “series of unusual incidents” while visiting Israeli police officers in the West Bank
- Bluth “emphasized that these are exceptional incidents that must be addressed with the necessary severity“
UN delegation wraps up Lebanon visit with call for international backing for country at 'pivotal’ juncture
- Security Council President Samuel Zbogar urges intensified support for Lebanese Armed Forces; welcomes government commitment to ensuring a state monopoly on arms
- Council highlights ‘strong commitment’ to Lebanon’s stability, territorial independence
NEW YORK: A UN Security Council delegation wrapped up its visit to Lebanon on Friday, saying the trip underscored international backing for the country at what it described as a pivotal moment for maintaining calm along its southern border and advancing implementation of long-standing UN resolutions.
Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia’s ambassador to the UN and president of the Security Council for December, said the delegation had received “warm hospitality” from Lebanese officials, and highlighted the council’s “strong commitment” to Lebanon’s stability and that of the wider region.
“The council regularly deliberates on the situation in Lebanon and along the Blue Line,” Zbogar told reporters in Beirut.
He said the visit is a further demonstration of the council’s commitment, coming at a pivotal time for implementing relevant resolutions and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah brokered in November 2024.
During the trip, the delegation held meetings with Lebanon’s president, parliament speaker, prime minister and foreign minister.
Members were also briefed by the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, UN officials in Lebanon, and a US general involved in the ceasefire mechanism.
The delegation also toured the Blue Line area and UNIFIL headquarters.
Zbogar said discussions focused on Lebanon’s political, economic, and security situation, with particular attention to UNIFIL’s work and the Lebanese Armed Force’s role in maintaining stability.
“This mission is a demonstration of the international community’s support for Lebanon and its people,” he said, reaffirming the council’s backing for the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence.
He urged all parties to uphold last year’s ceasefire agreement and noted “progress achieved by Lebanon this year.” He also praised UNIFIL and the UN Special Coordinator’s office for their role in de-escalation efforts, adding that the safety of peacekeepers “must be respected and they must never be targeted.”
Zbogar called for intensified international support to the Lebanese Armed Forces, including for their continued deployment south of the Litani River, and welcomed the government’s commitment to ensuring a state monopoly on arms.
He said the council also used the visit to examine options for implementing Resolution 1701 once UNIFIL leaves Lebanon, saying that the issue will require “thorough conversation during 2026” and that members were awaiting recommendations from the UN secretary-general.
The delegation also reiterated support for Lebanon’s economic and institutional reforms, which international donors have made a condition for unlocking major recovery and reconstruction assistance.
