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By Yaniv Kubovich,
‘This is the most serious terrorist attack by Israelis, and we failed by not arriving earlier and protecting them,’ says Central Command chief.
The Israel Defense Forces published on Wednesday the findings of the investigation of the settler raid on the Palestinian village of Jit, in the West Bank, roughly two weeks ago. According to the findings, the Shin Bet security service warned the IDF and police about the settlers’ intentions to commit “a nationalist crime” in the Yitzhar area before they raided the village. The investigation found that the soldiers should have “acted with greater determination” in quelling the violence.
Regarding the incident in Jit, IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth said, “This is the most serious terrorist attack by Israelis who deliberately set out to harm the residents of Jit, and we failed by not arriving earlier and protecting them. The responsibility is first of all mine as the commander, and I will do everything to improve the system.”
Bluth also praised “the IDF reservists who arrived at the scene, engaged and risked their lives, saving the lives of Palestinians trapped in burning houses.” He said that the incident “will not be over until we bring justice to the rioters.”
The investigation states that the first force to arrive tried to disperse the rioters, but was unsuccessful. More reservists and Border Police officers then arrived and blocked the settlers. “The forces operated assertively, risking their lives, blocking the rioters and pushing them out of the village, while using riot dispersal equipment and shooting warning shots in the air,” according to the army’s statement, adding that it took about 30 minutes to drive the rioters from the village. The investigation states that one Palestinian was shot to death and one was wounded, and that the police and Shin Bet are investigating the incident.
According to the investigation, several members of the security squad from a nearby settlement arrived at the scene without authorization. The army says that they wore uniforms even though they were not on active reserve duty, and acted outside the scope of their authority.
The report states that, following the investigation, two members of the security squad were dismissed and their weapons confiscated. The army adds that four suspects were detained last week, including one minor. The three other detainees are in administrative detention. The army says that the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are planned.
A preliminary investigation by the defense establishment on the day following the attack found that reservists were near the settlers who raided the village, but stopped none of the rioters. The investigation found that, in addition to the soldiers, members of the Gilad Farm outpost security squad were present at the scene.
A senior defense source said at the time, “The soldiers did nothing to prevent the pogrom,” even though he said that the reservists and security squad members were witnesses to the acts. “They simply stood aside, saw everything – and did nothing.” The defense establishment said at the time that the Shin Bet and IDF had no prior intelligence about the preparations for the raid on the village.
The attack on Jit two weeks ago was committed by dozens of masked men, most of whom came from the direction of Gilad Farm, and others from the area of the settlement of Shilo. The settlers entered Jit in cars, burned vehicles, vandalized property, and assaulted residents.
One resident of the village, Rashid Sadah, 28, was killed. His mother, Iman Sadah, said that he was planning to marry. “He loved computers and worked at a store in Nablus. He had a lot of dreams. He told me that he wanted to marry and that we should prepare the house, but they took him from me,” she said after his death.
Source: https://www.haaretz.com
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