CrossFireArabia
More than 300 Israeli reserve soldiers, Wednesday, called on army command to take decisive action to stop what they described as “Jewish terrorism” in the occupied West Bank, referring to settler attacks on Palestinians. They warned that the continuation of these attacks endanger soldiers.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that more than 300 reserve soldiers signed a petition titled “A Letter from Reserve Soldiers Against Jewish Terrorism,” addressed to Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
The petition coincided with the continued presence of extremist settlers near the town of Qusra, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, where Palestinians say three families are living under a de facto siege.
The signatories accused the army command of failing to provide the necessary authority and resources to prevent the recurrence of settler attacks. They emphasized that they are repeatedly deployed to separate Israelis and Palestinians in what the army calls “friction incidents,” without having the actual mandate to prevent violence before it occurs.
The petition stated: “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. However, we feel that the army leadership is abandoning us in the field and failing to support us.”
The signatories added: “We are repeatedly asked to extinguish fires, but no one guarantees that the leaders of nationalist terrorism will be stopped and eradicated,” referring to settler attacks.
The petition warned that the inaction of the military leadership, coupled with the political support enjoyed by some of those involved in these attacks, is endangering the soldiers.
The soldiers asserted that the lack of clear directives and the overlooking of “Jewish terrorism” have contributed to soldiers being wounded and others killed in incidents related to these disturbances, according to the petition.
The signatories called on the Chief of Staff to “take decisive action to stop and eradicate Jewish terrorism” and to provide the forces with “clear tools and an explicit mandate” to prevent attacks.
Criticism from Reserve Soldiers
The newspaper quoted Reserve Major Aviad Hominer-Rosenblum, one of the petition’s signatories, as saying: “Soldiers are repeatedly forced to risk their lives due to the escalation of Jewish terrorism and the deliberate provocations instigated by inciters.”
He added: “Our reputation is being tarnished by the military establishment’s failure to address Jewish terrorism at its root, and by the actual involvement of soldiers, especially local defense personnel, in these dangerous incidents.”
The newspaper also quoted Reserve Captain Tom Benhasi as saying that the events in Qusra “are not an isolated incident, but rather part of a broader pattern in the West Bank.”
He added that armed settler groups “operate with little intervention, while the army often finds itself complicit in protecting the actions of an extremist minority instead of enforcing the law.”
Benhasi emphasized that “criminal violence against Palestinians does not enhance security; rather, it endangers soldiers, fuels tension in the region, and harms everyone’s security.”
In recent years, the West Bank has witnessed an escalation in settler attacks on Palestinians, with a noticeable increase in their frequency during recent months according to Quds Press.
