Fear and concern among Israeli reserve soldiers in Samaria amid attacks by Jewish extremists

Amid the recent riots in the Binyamin region of Samaria, IDF soldiers from Reserve Battalion 7114, who have been stationed in the area for the past few months, told Kan News on Monday evening about a worsening level of violence directed at them by Jewish extremists since the weekend.

The soldiers also expressed concern that their family members might be harmed. Beyond the violent incidents, it has emerged that battalion commanders have received hate messages.

A security meeting was held on Monday, convened by Defense Minister Israel Katz following the disturbances in Samaria. All relevant security bodies involved in the incidents and the investigation are attending.

The violent events began on Thursday evening last week, when dozens of rioters from the illegal outpost of Be’al Hazor set fire to property in the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik. The situation escalated yesterday, when dozens of Jews attacked soldiers at the Binyamin Brigade IDF base and set fire to a sensitive security facility.

The atmosphere in Battalion 7114 is grim. Soldiers say they are not supposed to face violence from fellow Jews, and they express frustration that the police are not assisting in enforcement nor making arrests against the rioters.

An officer who was present at the protest last night said,

“These are difficult days. I passed through there at the beginning of the protest, and people were shouting 'murderer' at me – they even said 'Nazis.' There’s a sense of escalation, like a game of cat and mouse. We evacuate them, and they come back, argue with you, and threaten to kill you. Most of them are young people in their early 20s.”

Meanwhile, this morning police investigators collected evidence at the scene of the arson attack on the security facility from last night, which is expected to lead to arrests, in coordination with the Shin Bet, which is involved in the investigation.

Regarding the assault on IDF soldiers in Binyamin, police have identified some of the rioters using video footage in their possession and are working to locate them for arrest. Those identified so far are the individuals who jumped on the IDF vehicle and vandalized it. The perpetrators who sprayed the soldiers with pepper spray have not yet been identified.

As for the six suspects arrested over the weekend, the detention of three individuals suspected of assaulting a battalion commander and his soldiers has been extended until Wednesday and Thursday.

Three others arrested for violating a closed military zone order were released to full house arrest.

Written by KAN 11 correspondents Itay Blumenthal and Hadas Grinberg.