Published: 10 March 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
IDF soldiers danced with settlers who threw rocks during Purim celebrations.
Four Palestinians, including a two-year-old girl, were evacuated to hospital after settlers hurled stones at them in the Palestinian village of Huwara during Purim celebrations on Monday.
"The pogroms in Huwara continue also as part of the settlers' Purim celebrations, backed by the government and lack of enforcement by the authorities," the Human Rights organisation Yesh Din said.
The incident follows a rampage by about 400 settlers in Huwara on February 26, in which one Palestinian was killed, about 30 houses were attacked and hundreds of cars torched. The attacks came in a wave of fury over the killing of brothers Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19, who were murdered by a Palestinian gunman.
A video posted on Twitter on Monday shows a man with an axe attacking a Palestinian car, in which people are sitting.
Videos from the main street in Huwara on Monday also show soldiers dancing with the settlers.
The IDF said in response: “A number of gatherings occurred in the village of Huwara, in the Samaria District, during some of which t[GU1] here were violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli citizens. IDF and Border Police forces dispersed the gatherings, using crowd-dispersal methods. The gatherings were dispersed.
“The incident captured on video lasted a few minutes. The circumstances are under investigation.” The army added that the behaviour of the soldiers dancing, “is not consistent with what is expected of soldiers during operational activity.”
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The settlers claimed the incident began when Palestinians hurled stones at their vehicles, damaging four cars.
There were also violent incidents in Hebron on Purim. Three videos handed to Haaretz show young men, several wearing kippot, throwing stones at buildings and houses in the West Bank city of Hebron. Two of the videos show soldiers trying to dissuade and evacuate them from the scene.
Rights activist Issa Amro, who recorded one of the videos, said that the attackers were settlers who also threw stones and bottles at his house. He said there were dozens of[GU2] teenagers who were drunk at the time of the incident. He described that such attacks have recently become routine and have intensified in recent days.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir joined Jewish revellers in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday, dancing with residents from the hard-line settler community as they celebrated the holiday of Purim.
Ben-Gvir — dressed in a costume combining elements of various uniforms of forces under his command — danced, sang, and took selfies with party-goers and soldiers at an event in an Israeli settlement in Hebron. Ben Gvir lives in an adjacent settlement, and usually attends Purim celebrations in the city.
READ MORE
Four Palestinians, Including One Girl, Wounded by Settlers in Huwara (Haaretz)
IDF soldiers seen dancing with settlers in flashpoint West Bank town of Huwara (Times of Israel)
Settlers filmed throwing stones at Palestinian homes in front of Israeli Soldiers (Haaretz)
Police minister clowns around with settlers for Purim in flashpoint Hebron (Times of Israel)
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Hundreds march through West Bank city’s streets with coffin, some calling Palestinian forces and other officials ‘prostitutes’ and ‘spies’ for Israel.
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ANALYSIS
Huwara highlights the ‘symbiotic’ relationship between settlers and soldiers (The Jewish Independent)
Right now, to love Israel is to denounce it (LA Times)
Photo: A Palestinian woman stands outside a house burnt in an attack by Israeli settlers during the February 26 rampage. (AMMAR AWAD/ REUTERS)
