One person has been arrested and two detained in connection with a recent violent incident in the West Bank, police said Monday morning.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the three individuals, all residents of the illegal Israeli outpost of Givat Ronen, are suspected of involvement in an attack carried out by Jewish extremists in the Palestinian village of Burin two weeks ago.
In that incident, at least six activists were wounded and a car was set alight.
The Haifa District Court has issued a gag order on the case, preventing any published information about the ongoing investigation or the identity of the suspects.
Last month, Israeli activists affiliated with Rabbis for Human Rights came to Burin, near Nablus, to help Palestinian farmers plant trees on land inside the boundaries of the village.
About an hour and a half later, a group said to be of 10 or more masked figures descended from nearby Givat Ronen, wielding clubs and stones. At least six Israelis were injured during the attack, witnesses and medics said.
File: A general view of the Givat Ronen outpost in the West Bank on October 25, 2006 (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash 90)
Rabbis for Human Rights issued a statement on Monday urging better deterrence against Jewish extremism.
“We welcome the progress made in the investigation into the brutal attack of our activists at the village of Burin, and hope that justice is not only achieved, but also seen,” the statement read.
“Clear deterrence must be directed toward Jewish terrorists who seek to make life in the West Bank intolerable for Palestinian farmers and activists who come to assist them, as well as for Israeli soldiers, through unrestrained and wild violence.
“The Jewish terror cells that are being established on these hills are a disease that requires immediate treatment and the joint effort of policymakers and law enforcement authorities. The real solution to this situation will only come when the attacked activists are recognized and reimbursed, and when the military rule in these territories is over,” the statement read.
Israeli security officials have warned that violence by Jewish extremists in the West Bank has spiked in recent months. Shin Bet officials told The Times of Israel in late December that Jewish extremist violence had increased by 50 percent over the past year.
Nevertheless, the internal debate over the phenomenon has been divisive. Right-wing Israeli politicians have denounced the characterization of the attacks as “settler violence,” charging that it is an attempt to besmirch all Jews living in the West Bank.
“There are marginal elements in every community and they should be dealt with using all means, but we must not generalize about an entire community,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in mid-December.
Much of the violence is allegedly perpetrated by Jewish extremists who live in illegal outposts. Deputy minister Yair Golan (Meretz) called them “subhuman” in early January, sparking backlash. He later apologized for his choice of words.
Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev has denounced the Burin attack as “the organized action of a terror group,” and said it was just the “tip of the iceberg.”
