Religious Zionist Party MK Zvi Sukkot characterized the serious incidents of violence committed by settlers in the West Bank as a "super marginal phenomenon, a drop in the ocean compared to Arab terrorism," the Religious Zionist MK said on Sunday.
He added, "This is a serious crime; I don’t like to use the word terror. If they had heard me, they would have behaved differently. There is not one person there who does not know my position on the issue; it is not some secret," he said in an interview with 103FM.
As a reminder, Zvi Sukkot was one of the MKs who broke through the fence of the Sde Teiman detention facility along with rioters after IDF reservists were detained for sexual abuse of a Nukhba terrorist.
Sukkot also commented on the ongoing efforts to secure a hostage deal, which continued at the summit held in Doha. “I don’t think a deal is going to come out of those talks,” he claimed.
“Once again, the families of the hostages are being led to raise their expectations. From what I understand, Hamas will not be flexible in areas where Israel has established clear red lines. We are stuck in the same cycle repeatedly.”
“If there is a breakthrough in the talks, we will learn the details, which are constantly changing, and we will formulate a position. We believe it is impossible to outsource the security of the State of Israel; we have seen what has happened in the Philadelphi Corridor.”
Recent instances of settler violence
On Thursday, Palestinians reported that settlers had set fire to cars and buildings in the town of Jit in the Nablus region. According to the Red Crescent, a Palestinian was killed by gunfire from settlers. Other reports identified the deceased as Rashid Abdel Kader Sada, 23. Several people were wounded, one seriously.
An IDF spokesperson stated, “In the evening hours (8:00 p.m.), dozens of Israeli citizens, some masked, entered the village of Jit in Samaria, setting fire to vehicles and buildings, throwing stones, and hurling Molotov cocktails. IDF and Border Police forces arrived in the village within minutes of receiving the report, used means to disperse the demonstration, fired into the air and removed the Israeli citizens from the village. Security forces arrested one Israeli citizen, who was handed over to the Israel Police for further investigation. The report of a Palestinian being killed during the incident is under investigation.”
A week ago, the Israel Police reported an incident where a vehicle accidentally entered the Givat Ronen in the West Bank and was attacked and set on fire by settlers. Two female passengers were injured. The IDF provided medical treatment, and a Magen David Adom team near the Kfar Tapuach settlement evacuated one of the wounded—a 22-year-old woman with bruised limbs—to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva. The police have opened an investigation into the incident.
The Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.