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Photos:
A picture shows burnt cars, reportedly set ablaze by Israeli settlers, in the area of in Al-Lubban Al-Gharbi in the West Bank last week.Credit: AHMAD GHARABLI - AFP Published by Haaretz

Palestinian men check on a burned building, after an attack by Israeli settlers, near Ramallah, in the West Bank, last week.Credit: MOHAMAD TOROKMAN/ REUTERS Published by Haaretz

Smoke and flames rise after Israeli settlers went on a rampage in the West Bank town of Huwara, setting fire to several homes and cars and injuring dozens of Palestinians, in February.Credit: HISHAM K. K. ABU SHAQRA / Anadol Published by Haaretz

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Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the orders saying their use against settlers was 'democratically and morally unacceptable' and 'completely illegal'

by Hagar Shezaf for Haaretz
Jun 28, 2023

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed four administrative detention orders on Wednesday for Israelis suspected of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank following recommendations from the Shin Bet.

A security source said that the four detainees have been involved in vandalizing and burning property for several years. Restraining orders have been issued against them in the past and some have even served prison terms, the source added. The warrant signed by Gallant allows Israel to hold the suspects without trial.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the detention orders saying their use against settlers was "democratically and morally unacceptable," and "completely illegal" because the orders were not issued for preventative measures, but rather as a reprisal for previous actions attributed to them.

Apart from the four, no other Jews are currently being held without trial, compared to the 1,083 Palestinians in administrative detention.

This past week saw a rise in violent incidents by Jews against Palestinians in the West Bank. After the terror attack in the settlement of Eli that saw four Israelis murdered, around 200 Jewish settlers, some armed, set fire to houses and vehicles in the Palestinian West Bank town of Turmus Ayya leaving one Palestinian shot dead by a police officer after riots broke out.

Defense officials estimate that about 15 homes were damaged by arson and stone throwing, and about 30 cars were torched. Residents said that the Israeli military has done nothing to stop the violence, and only arrived in the village after the settlers had left.

Footage released last Thursday shows Israeli settlers vandalizing a mosque in the West Bank village of Urif during the previous day's rampage. The masked settlers, accompanied by a dog, are seen leaving the mosque; one of them tears apart a Quran in the street outside the mosque.

Also on Thursday, A group of Israeli settlers launched an attack on Palestinians in the West Bank village of Jalud, near Nablus, resulting in multiple injuries, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Reports suggest that one Palestinian, wounded by live fire, was transported to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus.

On Saturday, dozens of Israeli settlers rioted near the central West Bank Palestinian village of Umm Safa, lightly injuring several residents and setting fire to a number of houses and vehicles, the sixth in a string of largely unabated settler mob attacks on Palestinian towns during that week.

One Israeli soldier was injured by stones thrown at the scene, and one settler was detained.