Judea and Samaria District Commander accuses the IDF: "Instead of arresting the rioters, they disperse them"
In an interview with 103FM radio, the Judea and Samaria District Commander claimed that the responsibility for arresting the rioters in Qusra lies with the army. According to him, "This is not the first incident where instead of arresting those rioters, they disperse them." He claims that the IDF should have, in addition to dispersing those rioters, also arrested the people on the ground.
The Israel Police Judea and Samaria District Commander, Nitzav Moshe Pinchi, responded on Sunday in an interview with 103FM radio to claims that not a single arrest was made by the police following the riots in the village of Qusra.
"I hear the things that were said. I was in great doubt whether to respond to them and remain statesmanlike or to make contact and choose to answer. I decided to answer," noted Pinchi.
"This question should be directed to the army. It was there at that event, and this is not the first incident where instead of arresting those rioters, they disperse them," said Pinchi. "These are harsh words because the army belongs to all of us, but there is responsibility."
"I am not shifting responsibility, but we all understand the severity of the events and the damage they cause to the state, to the settlement movement, and to all of us as a society," the District Commander claimed. "The responsibility is clear - the territory is under the responsibility of the IDF. The IDF was supposed to, besides dispersing those rioters, also arrest the people on the ground. When it does not arrest the people on the ground, the investigative work is much harder for us and for the Shin Bet, which is supposed to act in those incidents."
He noted that he is working on cooperation between the security agencies in Judea and Samaria: "From the day I took office and with the outbreak of the events, we established an inter-organizational headquarters that centralizes the authorities of all the bodies."
On Saturday, IDF and Border Police forces were dispatched to the Palestinian village of Qusra in Samaria following a report of Israeli rioters arriving in the area. The IDF and Border Police spokespersons announced in a joint statement that the forces identified dozens of rioters barricading themselves inside a Palestinian house, while there were Palestinian residents inside.
Despite the participation of dozens of rioters, no arrests have been reported yet. Police investigators who were in the village collected evidence under IDF protection. It was also learned that the rioters threw stones at the Palestinians and wounded a Palestinian woman.
