Force Commander in Jalud: They tried in every way to break into the family’s home to attack her

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - The commander of an Israeli border guard battalion narrated details of the violent confrontations that took place in the village of Jalud, south of Nablus, while accompanying the Tubasi family upon their return to their home, noting that more than 200 settlers gathered in the place and tried to reach the family members and assault them.

The officer, identified by the letter “M,” said in an interview with “Ynet” that a force consisting of about 40 members of the Border Guard, along with soldiers from the Israeli army, accompanied the family upon their return to their home.

He added that the force's entry into the village was calm at first, before a number of settlers noticed its presence and began calling for reinforcements from the area towards the family's home.

He explained that more than 200 settlers arrived at the place and began violent acts, noting that they threw stones and rocks at the force members, sprayed pepper gas on them, damaged vehicle tires, and tried in every way to reach the family’s home.

The battalion commander described what happened as “an attempt at a mass execution,” and said that the settlers tried to penetrate the security cordon and reach the family members.

He pointed out that three border guards were slightly injured during the confrontations, while he himself was injured by a large stone that hit his helmet. He said, "If the stone had hit the face, it is not certain that I would be here to talk to you today."

The officer praised his officers, saying that they acted "firmly and professionally" in order to end the incident without casualties, explaining that the forces dealt with the crowds using demonstration means, while being careful not to escalate the confrontation.

He added that the settlers continued their attempts to reach the family home even after its members entered it. He said that they tried to break into the house despite the presence of border guards and the army, and at a certain stage they were able to enter through windows that were open.

He explained that the family members were then transferred to the roof of the house, while Border Guard officers closed the stairs leading to the second floor and the roof, to prevent the crowds from reaching them and attacking them.

The officer said that the force members were attacked “only because they were carrying out the mission of securing the family,” stressing that the forces insisted on protecting the family members and preventing them from being harmed.

He added that he decided not to carry out arrests among settlers during the confrontations, for fear that this would lead to an increase in the intensity of friction and an escalation of the situation, noting that he issued instructions to the officers to exercise restraint to prevent the events from getting out of control and reaching the stage of shooting.

At a later stage, the force commander decided to evacuate the family members from the village and keep them away from the site of the confrontations.

He said that the forces evacuated them from the roof of the house to an armored vehicle, and transported them to a safe place.

After the family was evacuated, the settlers burned her house and another house in the village.

The battalion commander said that what happened "exceeded all limits," adding that the authorities "will hold all those involved accountable."

For his part, the Commander of the Israeli Border Guard, Major General Brik, said after conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the incident that he "strongly condemns the serious violence that targeted the security forces and the attack on Border Guard members, which led to the injury of three of our members."

He added that the security forces "will not accept a reality in which border guards who are sent to carry out their duties become targets of violence and aggression."

The Border Guard Commander praised the behavior of the force members, and said that they dealt firmly and professionally with the violent disturbances, and were able to end the incident without the settlers being able to reach the family.

The report quoted sources who participated in the investigation as saying that the experience of the border guards in dealing with incidents of this kind helped in ending the confrontations without casualties, indicating that the forces did not rush to use live bullets against the crowds that threw stones and objects at them.

Releasing detainees to home detention

In a related context, the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court, yesterday evening, ordered the release to home detention of two out of three suspects who were arrested in connection with the violent disturbances in Jalud.

The unit conducting the investigation submitted a request to postpone the implementation of the release decision, but today the Central Court in Lod rejected the appeal submitted regarding them, and it is expected that they will be released to home detention.

The investigations conducted by the Israeli police in cooperation with the General Security Agency (Shin Bet) are still ongoing, and include collecting evidence and information and taking witness statements, in preparation for building an evidence file.

The court indicated in its decision that the mere presence of the suspects at the scene of the incident at the time of its occurrence does not constitute sufficient evidence to keep them in detention.

Herzog: “The national crime is neither Jewish nor moral”

In the same context, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the "West Bank Division" and touched on the violent disturbances in Jalud.

Herzog said that there is a "continuous war against terrorism," praising the police and the army, but added that "the phenomena of national crime prevents us from implementing the rule of law," considering that it "harms the image of the state and the settlements."

Herzog called on the political level to provide the necessary tools to confront and stop this phenomenon, and said that what happened was “not Jewish and not moral.”

Herzog also described the events as “an extremely dangerous act that must be dealt with with the utmost decisiveness,” considering that burning property, throwing stones, and assaulting army soldiers and border guards while performing their duties “cannot be justified in any way,” and that this violence conflicts, according to him, with Jewish values.