Defense Minister Naftali Bennett responded Sunday to attacks against him following the directive he issued banning activists from the extreme left-wing Anarchists Against the Wall organization from Judea and Samaria.
In a tweet posted on Sunday Bennett wrote: "Corporal Michael Schwartzman lost his eye when anarchist rioters attacked him. Over the years they have wounded over a hundred soldiers."
According to Bennett, "Since I decided last night to issue restraining orders for these rioters, the left has been attacking me for allegedly violating the freedom of demonstration and expression. This is nonsense. These are not demonstrators, but rioters. The real question is how was this not done earlier?"
Minister Bennett on Saturday night ordered the IDF's Central Command, Shabak (Israel Security Agency), and Israel Police to issue restraining orders banning anarchist leftist activists from Judea and Samaria.
Until now, such orders have only been issued against "price tag" activists, while the activities of similarly-acting leftists were ignored.
These radical leftist activists act weekly, mostly in coordination with Palestinian Authority activists and other extreme leftist organizations, to carry out violent provocations in Judea and Samaria in four key locations: Bil'in, Nabi Salih, and Ni'lin, near Ramallah; Kafr Qaddum, near Shechem (Nablus).
According to information recently presented to Bennett, the violent incidents aim to spark anger and lead to collateral damage as well as harm to IDF soldiers, and they significantly harm Israel's public relations around the world.