Israeli far-right Ben Gvir calls settlers who attacked Palestinian villages “sweet kids”

June 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Israeli Security Minister and far-right leader Itamar Ben Gvir on Tuesday called the settlers who attacked Palestinian villages last week, killing one Palestinian and injuring a dozen others, “sweet children.”

“Most of them are sweet kids. Administrative arrests turn people into heroes. I was subject to administrative arrest when I was 18. You are turning runny kids into heroes,” Gvir said during a meeting with the prime minister. of the country, Benjamin Netanyahu, and other senior Israeli officials, as published by the newspaper ‘The Jerusalem Post’.

In addition, the minister has rejected the complaints about the attacks of settlers in Palestinian territories because “those who are killed here are the settlers, and the terrorism that must be eradicated is in Jenin (the West Bank), not in Ateret (Israeli colony in West Bank territory). “.

Gvir has also criticized “apology talks” with the Palestinian authorities: “A convicted terrorist who spent 10 years in prison, and we call to apologize to him and pet him? Those who pay salaries to terrorists, should we apologize to them?” “.

During the meeting, in which the head of the Intelligence service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, was present, Gvir asked why these young people are being investigated and arrested but other cases of “crime and Murder in Arab Society”.

For his part, Bar has warned that settlers may be subjected to violent acts in retaliation for attacks on Palestinian villages.

The Israeli authorities arrested three settlers last Friday for their alleged role in attacks on cities in the West Bank, which have resulted in at least one Palestinian being killed and dozens injured, amid an upsurge in violence in the area that it has set off the alarms before a possible outbreak of the conflict.

In addition, the Israeli government announced on Monday the construction of 5,700 new houses in the West Bank settlements, which exceeds the 4,427 houses announced throughout 2022. In total this year it has announced the construction of 13,082 houses, above the previous annual record of 12,159, corresponding to 2020.

In total, some 700,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, some of them in colonies considered legal by Israel and some in settlements considered illegal even by the Israeli government. International Law considers the colonization of militarily occupied territories a war crime.