Yitzhar residents attack IDF vehicles
Published June 18, 2017
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Residents of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar launched two attacks against the Israel Defense Forces in two days.
On Saturday night, residents stoned an army ambulance that was called to the settlement in the northern West Bank to care for a resident who was suffering from dehydration. The ambulance’s windshield was cracked in the attack, according to the IDF.
הערב אמבולנס צבאי הגיע ליצהר ע״מ לטפל בתושבת שסבלה מהתייבשות וזאת לבקשת היישוב. ביציאה מיצהר, התושבים זרקו אבנים על האמבולנס וגרמו נזק לשמשה pic.twitter.com/wDHYbB0vmL
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 17, 2017
The attack came day after residents laid down metal spikes in the road leading to the settlement in order to deter military vehicles, according to reports.
The ambulance incident “crosses a red line,” the IDF said in a statement. “We emphasize that harm of any kind of harm to the security forces preventing them from fulfilling their duties and protecting the residents of the area is grave,”
“For the IDF, this event crosses a red line,” the army said in a statement, condemning the attack. “The IDF will continue to act to enforce the law and order in Judea and Samaria,” which refers to the West Bank.
It is not the first time that radical residents of Yitzhar, known as the home of the Hilltop Youth. Israel’s military has cracked down on the Hilltop Youth in recent months, including barring some members from entering the West Bank for several months.
