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IDF fires commander filmed praying with West Bank Jewish extremists during Kusra siege

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • The Israeli military dismissed a reservist commander after video showed him and his soldiers praying with Jewish extremists involved in attacks and a siege of Palestinian civilians in Kusra.
  • The IDF said the commander violated orders not to identify with or support the extremists, while the soldiers were not disciplined because they believed they were following lawful orders.
  • The incident occurred as the military expanded forces assigned to maintain public order in the West Bank ahead of the Jewish holidays.

The Israeli military has fired a reservist commander after video showed him praying with Jewish extremists during a siege of the Palestinian West Bank village of Kusra. The commander and his soldiers had been assigned to help prevent attacks on Palestinians and eventually remove the extremists from the area.

The siege began on August 9, according to the report, and some Palestinians said aspects of it were continuing. A video recorded on August 10 prompted accusations that Israeli forces were cooperating with, or indirectly supporting, extremist violence. Other IDF troops were later brought in several times to remove an illegal outpost, which was eventually dismantled. Palestinians said extremists continued returning to the area.

The IDF said the commander’s conduct was “contrary to what was expected of him and contrary to the instructions given to him.” The military said he had been explicitly ordered to avoid any action that could be interpreted as identifying with the extremists or supporting their illegal conduct. His soldiers were not reprimanded because they believed they were following orders he had lawfully issued.

A military source said the reservist could continue serving, but not in a command role. The report also said extremists had temporarily taken over a Palestinian home during the weekend and had attacked global media members covering the events. Despite video showing some of their faces, the extremists appeared not to have been arrested.

The Jerusalem Post reported that police leadership, following National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s orders, largely stays out of cases involving Jews attacking Palestinians. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has announced expanded forces for public-order duties in Judea and Samaria ahead of the fall Jewish holidays. The force could exceed twice the pre-October 7 level of about 11 battalions.

Contrary to what was expected of him and contrary to the instructions given to him.

— Israeli Defense ForcesThe IDF gave this reason for dismissing the reservist commander.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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