Defense officials say IDF soldiers left without support in West Bank while world watches - report
The officials said that global attention to the West Bank causes diplomatic damage to Israel, and that without enforcement by the police and other state authorities, the incidents wear soldiers down.
Defense officials have harshly criticized the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for leaving soldiers to deal with settler extremists in the West Bank, with soldiers often facing incidents of settler violence without adequate support or tools, according to KAN News on Friday. The officials expressed concern that global attention to the West Bank is causing significant diplomatic harm to Israel, as incidents often strain IDF forces and divert them from focusing on terrorism and protecting residents.
On Friday, IDF soldiers were deployed to the town of Sa'ir, near Hebron, following an incident where a security coordinator shot and killed a young adult, aged between 17 and 18 years. The security official claimed to have felt his life was in danger. Clashes in Sa'ir resulted in the death of a Palestinian teenager. The IDF reported that the shooting occurred when Israeli civilians, who had entered the Area B region without authorization, were attacked by Palestinians throwing stones.
In the aftermath, Israeli settlers set a village home ablaze, causing a 65-year-old Palestinian to be hospitalized due to smoke inhalation. The Palestinian village is situated close to an illegal settler outpost.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
