IDF soldiers brave the snow
IDF soldiers brave the snowFlash90

An ostensibly “friendly” snowball fight in Samaria turned into an all out attack in Yitzhar early Thursday. Residents of the Kipah Sruga neighborhood of the town said that hundreds of Arabs took advantage of the snow to riot and attack them.

According to residents, some 200 Arabs came marching up the snow-covered hill from the village of Aurif, in the direction of Yitzhar. Security officials quickly assembled and attempted to ward off the Arab “invasion,” but the Arabs, smiling and laughing, shouted that they came in peace and were just interested in have a “friendly” snowball fight. “We are all friends, we want peace,” they shouted. “We just came to play in the snow.”

But when they got close to the security officials, it turned out that they were holding not snowballs, but rocks – which they began hurling at the guards, attempting to rush them and reach the homes of residents. The guards were able to ward off the mob, using anti-riot techniques, and IDF troops arrived a few minutes later to remove the rioters altogether. No injuries were reported in the incident.

With many of the roads in Judea and Samaria slick and covered in snow or ice, drivers have been moving very slowly in order to avoid accidents – a situation which turns drivers on some roads into “sitting ducks,” giving Arab attackers a much better chance of hitting cars or drivers due to their slow speed. Several rock throwing incidents were reported Thursday morning, on roads that are open in the Hevron Hills area, and on the road between Peduel and Eli in central Samaria. No injuries or damages were reported from the incidents.