Settler Violence

Israel outlaws all political violence – whether committed by Palestinians or Jews, right-wingers or left-wingers, in the territories or in major cities.

The Kusra siege has drawn rare US criticism and intensified debate over Israel’s failure to restrain violent factions as the government considers transferring civilian law enforcement from the IDF.

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the military will present a plan for the transfer within the next two weeks, amid the ongoing violent clashes in Kusra.

According to Army Radio, the arrests come at the request of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), to which the IDF has responded that it is "unable" to arrest all of the wanted suspects.

Palestinian residents who remain in the area told KAN News that they still feel threatened by Jewish extremists in the area.

Former Israel Navy commander Eliezer Marom said police, not IDF soldiers, should handle unrest in Kusra, calling the situation “shocking” and warning it harms Israel’s reputation.

Leiter connected his criticism of the violence to the Jewish commandment of settling the Land of Israel, arguing that the principle also carries a responsibility to uphold justice.

According to N12, the IDF will also look into the manner in which the Palestinian families of the town were evacuated on Thursday after being instructed to leave.

According to Katz, the proposed plan would shift responsibility for civilian law enforcement and public order involving the Israeli population in the West Bank from the IDF to the police.

When Israelis go to the polls in October, one of the primary questions they need to ask themselves is whether they want a government that will continue to allow extremism to run unfettered.