Published: 10 March 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
IDF soldiers danced with settlers who threw rocks during Purim celebrations.
Four Palestinians, including a two-year-old girl, were evacuated to hospital after settlers hurled stones at them in the Palestinian village of Huwara during Purim celebrations on Monday.
"The pogroms in Huwara continue also as part of the settlers' Purim celebrations, backed by the government and lack of enforcement by the authorities," the Human Rights organisation Yesh Din said.
The incident follows a rampage by about 400 settlers in Huwara on February 26, in which one Palestinian was killed, about 30 houses were attacked and hundreds of cars torched. The attacks came in a wave of fury over the killing of brothers Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19, who were murdered by a Palestinian gunman.
A video posted on Twitter on Monday shows a man with an axe attacking a Palestinian car, in which people are sitting.
Videos from the main street in Huwara on Monday also show soldiers dancing with the settlers.
The IDF said in response: “A number of gatherings occurred in the village of Huwara, in the Samaria District, during some of which t[GU1] here were violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli citizens. IDF and Border Police forces dispersed the gatherings, using crowd-dispersal methods. The gatherings were dispersed.
“The incident captured on video lasted a few minutes. The circumstances are under investigation.” The army added that the behaviour of the soldiers dancing, “is not consistent with what is expected of soldiers during operational activity.”
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The settlers claimed the incident began when Palestinians hurled stones at their vehicles, damaging four cars.
