It has been a very difficult two days of violence in Israel.
Yesterday, at the same time as American, Israeli and Palestinian officials were meeting in the Jordanian town of Aqaba to discuss ways to calm the situation in the West Bank (following months of terror attacks), a Palestinian terrorist gunned down two young Israeli men. The two victims, brothers Hillel Menachem z”l (22) and Yagel Ya’acov z”l (19) Yaniv, from the West Bank town of Har Bracha were buried today in a funeral attended by thousands. The heart-wrenching eulogy of their mother was broadcast live on Israeli television and radio stations. The US ambassador in Israel, Tom Nides, condemned the attack. The terrorist, believed to be from the nearby Palestinian town of Huwara, escaped the scene of the attack and a large manhunt is underway.
A short time ago, there was a separate terror shooting, this time near the Dead Sea. One Israeli has been killed, and the perpetrator has fled the scene.
Last night, a few hours after the first attack, dozens of settlers, mainly from the victims’ home town, descended on Huwara, chanting that they were going to “burn the terrorist’s town down.” The settlers rampaged through the town, set fire to numerous cars and set five houses alight. The IDF managed to rescue residents of the homes that were torched and to put the fires out. While security forces worked to clear the area, large riots took place with live fire reported from both settlers and Palestinians. It has been reported that three Palestinians were injured and possibly one person killed. At least six settlers have been arrested.
There has been widespread condemnation of the settler violence. Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “I ask – even when the blood is boiling – not to take the law into one’s hands. I ask that the IDF and the security forces be allowed to carry out their work. I remind you that in recent weeks, they have targeted dozens of terrorists and thwarted dozens of attacks. Let the IDF complete its pursuit and do not take the law into your hands; together we will defeat terrorism.”