A senior Israeli military official said the army discriminates in its response to stone-throwing attacks in the occupied West Bank based on whether the perpetrators are Palestinians or Jews, and that Israel is “killing like we haven’t killed since 1967”.
The comments, reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, were made at a closed briefing by the commander of the military’s Central Command, Maj Gen Avi Bluth, the most senior officer in the occupied West Bank. He said that, unlike cases involving Palestinians, soldiers “firing on Jews has profound societal consequences”.
The reported comments come during a particularly violent period in the occupied West Bank, with many raising deep concerns over rampant Israeli settler and military violence. Israel has destroyed refugee camps, launched major urban campaigns, armed settlers and imposed unprecedented restrictions on Palestinian movement, among other factors driving tensions in the area. Israel says these are necessary security measures.
Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment when asked about the remarks.
The comments provide a particularly stark insight into the policy of the military in the region, which many fear is on the brink of collapse. Critics of Israel’s government blame ministers, many of them ultra-nationalist settlers themselves, for seeking destabilisation to bring about a pretext for full annexation of the Palestinian territory.
Mr Bluth also boasted of relaxing the rules of engagement against Palestinians trying to cross into Israel. The occupied West Bank has been hit hard since the October 7 attacks, with many who used to work inside Israel before the war now barred from entering the country.
The commander said relaxing the rules of engagement to allow soldiers to shoot people below the knee while carrying out an arrest has led to “a lot of 'limping monuments' in Palestinian villages, of those who tried to, so there is a price being paid”.
He added that the military was “constantly turning villages into conflict zones”, to prevent an attack like the ones that were launched from Gaza on October 7, 2023.
“'If someone comes to kill you, kill them first,' is the norm in the Middle East, so we're killing like we haven't killed since 1967,” he said. He also said the military killed 42 Palestinians throwing stones on roads, and that he did not support killing Jews who engaged in the same actions, saying it caused too much of a “ruckus”.
The story appeared in the Israeli media as news broke of a Palestinian man being killed in the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Monday. Nayef Feras Samaro, 26, died after being shot in the head, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Four others were injured in the attack, including two children.
Israel’s military said in a statement that “a violent confrontation developed” that involved Palestinians throwing stones at troops.
