Defense officials say IDF soldiers left without support in West Bank while world watches - report

Multiple defense officials criticized the IDF's handling of settler extremists in the West Bank, saying soldiers are left without support or appropriate tools. The officials warned that global attention causes diplomatic damage and that incidents wear down forces, diverting them from counterterrorism. The report follows a fatal shooting of a Palestinian teenager in Sa'ir near Hebron.

Multiple defense officials sharply criticized the way IDF soldiers are left to deal with settler extremists in the West Bank, claiming that soldiers are often left to handle incidents of settler violence without support and sometimes without the appropriate tools, KAN News reported on Friday. The officials said that global attention to the West Bank causes serious diplomatic damage to Israel, and that without enforcement by the police and other state authorities, the incidents are wearing down IDF forces on the ground as well as diverting them from fighting terrorism and protecting residents of the area. Earlier on Friday, IDF soldiers were dispatched to the town of Sa'ir, near Hebron, after a security coordinator opened fire on a young adult between 17 and 18-years-old, killing him. The security official stated that he believed his life to be in danger. The IDF said that Israeli civilians had gone into the area, which is designated as Area B, without authorization and were attacked by Palestinians throwing stones. Following the attack, Israeli settlers started a fire in one of the village's homes, with a 65-year-old Palestinian evacuated due to smoke inhalation. Army Radio noted that the Palestinian village is located several hundred meters from an illegal settler outpost.