Commander of the Force in Jaloud: They Tried by All Means to Storm the Family's Home to Assault Them

Tel Aviv - Afaq News - The commander of a battalion from the Israeli Border Guard recounted the details of the violent confrontations that took place in the village of Jalud, south of Nablus, while accompanying the Tubasi family as they returned to their home, noting that more than 200 settlers gathered in the area and attempted to reach the family members and assault them.

The officer, identified by the letter "M", said in an interview with the "Ynet" website that a force consisting of about 40 Border Guard personnel, along with soldiers from the Israeli army, accompanied the family on their return home.

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

He explained that more than 200 settlers arrived at the location and began acts of violence, noting that they threw stones and rocks at the force members, sprayed them with pepper spray, vandalized vehicle tires, and tried in every way to reach the family's home.

The battalion commander described what happened as an "attempt at mass execution", stating that the settlers tried to breach the security cordon and reach the family members.

Three members of the border guard were slightly injured during the clashes, while he himself was hit by a large stone that struck his helmet, stating, "If the stone had hit my face, it is uncertain that I would be here to talk to you today."

The officer praised his personnel, saying they acted "firmly and professionally" to end the incident without casualties, explaining that the forces dealt with the crowds using crowd dispersal methods, while being careful not to escalate the confrontation.

He added that the settlers continued their attempts to reach the family's home even after its members had entered, stating that they tried to storm the house despite the presence of border guard and army personnel, and at one point managed to enter through open windows.

He explained that afterwards, the family members were moved to the roof of the house, while the border guard personnel closed the stairs leading to the second floor and the roof to prevent the crowds from reaching them and assaulting them.

The officer said that the force members were attacked "only because they were carrying out a mission to secure the family," emphasizing 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 the settlers during the confrontations, fearing that this would increase the intensity of friction and escalate the situation, noting that he issued instructions to the personnel to exercise restraint to prevent events from spiraling out of control and reaching the stage of gunfire.

At a later stage, the force commander decided to evacuate the family members from the village and distance them 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 location.

After evacuating the family, the settlers proceeded to burn their house and another house in the village.

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

In turn, the Israeli Border Police Chief, Major General Barak, stated after conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the incident that he "strongly condemns the serious violence directed at security forces and the assault on Border Police personnel, which resulted in the injury of three of our members."

He added that the security forces "will not accept a reality where Border Police personnel sent to carry out their duties become targets of violence and assault."

The Border Police Chief praised the actions of the force members, stating that they dealt firmly and professionally with the violent disturbances and were able to end the incident without the settlers reaching the family.

The report cited sources involved in the investigation stating that the experience of the Border Police personnel in handling such events helped in ending the confrontations without casualties, noting that the forces did not rush to use live ammunition against the crowds that were throwing stones and objects at them.

Release of detainees to house arrest.

In a related context, the Magistrate Court in Petah Tikva ordered last night the release to house arrest of two of the three suspects who were arrested in connection with the violent disturbances in Jaloud.

The unit responsible for the investigation submitted a request to postpone the implementation of the release decision, but the Central Court in Lod rejected the appeal submitted regarding them today, and they are expected to be released to house arrest.

The investigations being conducted by the Israeli police in cooperation with the General Security Service "Shabak" are still ongoing, including the collection of evidence and information and taking witness statements, in preparation for building a case file.

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

Herzog: "National crime is neither Jewish nor moral."

In this context, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the "West Bank Brigade" and addressed the violent disturbances in Jaloud.

Herzog stated that there is a "continuous war against terrorism," praising the police and the army, but added that "phenomena of national crime prevent us from applying the rule of law," considering it "damaging to the image of the state and to settlement."

Herzog called on the political level to provide the necessary tools to confront and stop this phenomenon, stating that what happened "is not Jewish and not moral."

He also described the events as "extremely dangerous acts that must be dealt with with the utmost firmness," considering that the burning of property, throwing stones, and attacking soldiers and border guards while performing their duties "cannot be justified in any way," and that this violence contradicts, according to him, Jewish values.