Arabs rioted near Neveh Tzuf in Samaria Monday. They torched Maayan Meir, a natural spring where Neveh Tzuf’s Jews have erected a memorial and named it after one of the community’s founders, Rav Meir Segal.
The spot is a regular hotspot for Arab rioters who routinely hurl rocks at IDF soldiers, confident that the soldier’s hands are effectively tied and they will not respond with live fire. In Monday’s riot, too, the soldiers made do with tear gas and riot gear.
In the course of the confrontation, the Muslims set fire to Jewish owned vineyards and groves. Binyamin fire crews had to be called in to control the blaze but this took a long time because some of the crews were busy fighting another fire started by Arab arson, at nearby Kochav Yaakov.
Local Jews say the IDF did not take action against the Arabs until Neveh Tzuf's residents threatened to take the law into their own hands and go into the Arab village themselves.
Neveh Tzuf residents blocked the main road next to the community in protest of the IDF's impotence and prevented Arab vehicles from passing for some time. Several Arab cars reportedly had their windows smashed.
Confrontations that show the helplessness of the IDF as it is taunted by the rabble were taped and put online by rioters (see video). The video is edited to suit Arab propaganda purposes.