Serious incident in Judea and Samaria: Two IDF female soldiers were attacked today (Monday) by Israelis near Givat Asaf in Benjamin. The female soldiers received medical treatment on the spot, the attackers fled, and security forces began searching for them.
Following the shocking attack, the IDF spokesperson stated that "the IDF condemns any violence against its soldiers and will continue to act to maintain order in Judea and Samaria."
The protesters attacked the female soldiers during a demonstration over claims that they intend to evacuate a hill named Tzur Harel. The female soldiers arrived to remove burning tires from the road, but were sprayed with pepper spray, and protestors punctured the tires of their vehicle.
The tension around Givat Tzur Harel began yesterday when residents claimed that the hill was expected to be evacuated. As a result, settlers decided to break the rules and began protests on Route 60 and deep in the territory. During the night, several blockades of Route 60 were carried out using burning tires, and they were removed from the area.
At night, unknown individuals also decided to target Palestinians in an attempt to stop the evacuation. 15 Palestinian vehicles were set on fire in the town of Al-Bireh, near Ramallah. Slogans of hate were sprayed on the walls of buildings.
In the afternoon hours, another escalation began: According to security forces, Israelis cut down Palestinian olive trees, and as a result, a riot broke out among the village residents. The parties clashed head-on, and two settlers were lightly injured, transferred to the Givat Asaf junction, and evacuated to the hospital.
Ironically, it is precisely the recent events that might lead to the evacuation of the hill. From a review by Israel Hayom, it appears that there was no concrete plan for the evacuation of the hill, but it can be estimated that recent events will lead security forces to understand that the hill is causing escalation in the area - and therefore the likelihood of evacuation now is higher than it was 24 hours ago.
As mentioned, in the afternoon, Arab assailants from the village of Burka ambushed residents of the 'Tzur HaReal' outpost with clubs and stones near the access path that passes by the village, stoned their vehicle, beat them with clubs, and smashed the windows and windshield of the car. Two Jews were lightly and moderately injured.
Despite their injuries, the residents drove away the assailants and called the army and their comrades, who repelled the terrorists back to the village, leading to a confrontation. Subsequently, medical personnel evacuated the two Jews to a hospital for further medical treatment, where their condition was classified as mild.
