"Instead of acting against the enemy, we are forced to allocate forces to outposts"
Officers serving in Judea and Samaria warn that nationalist crime incidents are straining forces and reducing their ability to operate in the sector. "If someone dies, from my point of view, in the moral aspect, I have not failed in any mission," said an officer serving in the area. The remarks were made after a tense night that included the burning of a mosque, vehicles, and attempted arson in several Palestinian villages.
"I am forced to allocate forces to outposts instead of sending them to the 'red' side. The settlers know this, but there is simply no one to talk to." This is what officers serving in the Judea and Samaria sector say, some of whom live themselves beyond the Green Line, against the backdrop of dealing with incidents of nationalist crime and their consequences for the deployment of forces in the sector.
An officer serving in the sector told his associates today: "There was chaos until midnight on Saturday. At 01:00 I went out for an arrest in one of the villages and finished it at 04:00. As soon as I finished, I received a report on the radio about an incident of nationalist crime in one of the villages. I drove there while already in a state of severe fatigue."
His words were said after a tense night in Judea and Samaria, during which a mosque was set on fire in the village of Qusra near Nablus, revenge graffiti was sprayed at the site, and leaflets were scattered with the words "Don't mess with us." At the same time, there were reports of clashes with Palestinians, the burning of vehicles and tractors in several villages, and an attempted arson of an apartment in Beit Furik.
The incidents occurred after a weekend full of attacks and clashes in the sector. On Friday, Binyamin Melat was murdered in an attack at Havat Gilad, and Major Yuval Ezra was killed after a Palestinian terrorist snatched a weapon. In the southern Hebron Hills, an Israeli was attacked and moderately wounded, and his weapon was snatched. The terrorist was caught at the end of a manhunt and the weapon was located.
"I am acting against them instead of acting against the enemy"
The officer also told his associates: "I used to try to argue with them ideologically about what they are doing, but they don't listen to anything. They did what they did and ran away. It's a 'price tag' for the incident on Friday. In the end, a 15-year-old kid with no brain will throw a Molotov cocktail into a house. No brain, no thinking."
The officer added that, according to him, these incidents have direct consequences for operational activity in the sector. "I put forces on the outposts instead of on the 'red' side," he said, referring to activity against the enemy. "They know this, but there is no one to talk to. I am acting against them instead of acting against the 'reds'."
According to him, diverting forces to deal with nationalist crime incidents could reduce operational capability in other hotspots, and even affect the protection of the outposts themselves in the event of a Palestinian attack. "If an incident happens to them, Palestinians arrive, carry out a riot against them and kill someone there - I have no way to help them," he said.
"I told those who need to know that if someone dies, from my point of view, in the moral aspect, I have not failed in any mission. They say yes, but I argue with them about it."
