Over 300 Israeli soldiers call on army to stop ‘Jewish terrorism’ in West Bank: report | The Express Tribune

More than 300 Israeli reserve soldiers have called on the military to take decisive action against “Jewish terrorism” by occupiers in the occupied West Bank, warning that the violence also puts Israeli troops at risk, according to Israeli media.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday that the reservists signed a petition titled “Reserve soldiers’ letter against Jewish terrorism” addressed to army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.

The petition came as extremist occupiers continued gathering near the Palestinian town of Qusra, south of Nablus, where three Palestinian families say they have been effectively surrounded inside their homes.

The soldiers accused army commanders of failing to provide troops with the authority and tools needed to prevent occupier attacks. They said soldiers were repeatedly deployed to separate Israelis and Palestinians during what the military describes as “friction incidents,” without clear authority to prevent violence before it occurs.

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“We are reserve soldiers who have served hundreds of days since October 7, 2023, including in the West Bank, where we risked our lives for Israel’s security, but we feel that the army leadership is abandoning us in the field and does not support us,” the petition said.

“We are repeatedly asked to put out the fires, but no one ensures that the leaders of national terrorism are stopped and uprooted,” it added, referring to occupier violence.

The reservists warned that military inaction, coupled with political support for some occupiers involved in attacks, was placing soldiers at risk. They said the absence of clear orders and tolerance of “Jewish terrorism” had contributed to soldiers being wounded and killed in incidents linked to the unrest.

They called on Zamir to take “decisive action to stop and eradicate Jewish terrorism” and provide troops with clear authority and tools to prevent it.

Maj (res) Aviad Homenir-Rosenblum, one of the petition’s signatories, told the newspaper that soldiers were repeatedly forced to risk their lives because of escalating occupier violence and deliberate confrontations.

He said Israel’s reputation was being damaged by the military’s failure “to address Jewish terrorism at its roots and by the involvement of soldiers, particularly local defence personnel, in such dangerous incidents”.

Capt (res) Tom Ben-Hassi said the events in Qusra “are not an isolated case, but part of a broader pattern in the West Bank”.

He said armed occupier groups “operate with little intervention, while the army often finds itself involved in protecting the actions of an extremist minority instead of enforcing the law”.

“Criminal violence against Palestinians does not enhance security. It puts soldiers at risk, fuels tensions in the region and harms everyone’s security,” he said.

The Israeli army has not commented on the petition.

Lawmaker accuses army of turning blind eye

Separately, opposition Knesset member Gilad Kariv on Wednesday accused the Israeli army of turning a blind eye to “terrorism by settler gangs” against Palestinian families in Qusra.

The army said it had removed an illegal occupier outpost erected near Palestinian homes in the village. Video footage released later, however, showed occupiers still at the site.

“The army forces withdrew. The settlers are still surrounding the house,” Kariv, a member of the opposition Democrats party, said in a post on X.

“No extremist settler was arrested despite the clear attempt to obstruct the army’s work and violate orders,” he added.

Kariv said the army’s General Staff must understand that withdrawing from the evacuation of the outpost and failing to lift the blockade was encouraging “national terrorism in the occupied territories.”

“Enough turning a blind eye to these gangs. Take back control,” he said, addressing the army.

“We and our sons and grandsons do not serve in the regular or reserve army so that lawless Israelis can throw stones and clubs at us,” Kariv added.

He also posted a video showing occupiers placing stones on the road leading to the illegal outpost, preventing the army from reaching it.

In another post, Kariv said: “There is no law and no one to enforce it. One can only imagine what would happen if Palestinian youths did the same.”

3 Palestinian families remain surrounded

For a third consecutive day, three Palestinian families in Qusra remained isolated inside their homes after occupiers erected tents and blocked the road leading to the area, Palestinian resident Yousef Abdel-Salam said.

Abdel-Salam told Anadolu that about 200 occupiers gathered around the homes on Wednesday and blocked the road with stones, raising fears of an attack or an attempt to enter the houses.

He said his four-member family, along with the families of his brother, parents and another relative, had been trapped inside their homes for three days without access to food or other necessities.

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Occupiers erected tents on the road leading to the homes, cutting the families off from the rest of Qusra and preventing them from obtaining essential supplies, he said.

Abdel-Salam said Israeli forces dismantled one of the tents overnight before about 200 occupiers arrived and blocked the road with stones.

“The settlers want to drive us from our homes and take control of them,” he said.

Army claims it removed occupiers’ outpost

In an earlier statement today, the Israeli army said its commanders, led by Central Command chief Avi Bluth, toured Qusra and nearby residential areas and spoke with the Palestinian family living there.

“Near the house, in Area B where a closed military zone order was issued, a tent was erected where Israeli civilians (occupiers) were staying,” the statement said.

Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into three areas: A, B and C. Area A is under full Palestinian control, Area B is under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, while Area C is under full Israeli control and accounts for about 60% of the West Bank.

The army said, “Border Police forces evacuated the tent and are working to evacuate the civilians (occupiers) who were staying there.”

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However, footage released later showed occupiers still at the site after Israeli forces had left the area.

The Israeli army and occupiers have carried out attacks in the West Bank that include killings, demolition of homes and other structures, the burning of mosques and vehicles, destruction of agricultural land, preventing farmers from reaching their fields, displacement and illegal settlement expansion on Palestinian land.

Palestinians warn that the escalation is part of an Israeli policy aimed at expanding illegal settlements, seizing Palestinian land and creating new realities on the ground, potentially undermining the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.