The head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, and the head of the Kedumim Council, Ozel Vatik, issued a joint statement on Thursday evening in which they criticized the riot by far rightists in the Palestinian Arab town of Jit in Samaria. "We wish to say in a clear way, in no uncertain terms: Even after the throwing of rocks, no one has the right to take the law into their own hands! The army and the enforcement agencies are the ones responsible for taking care of this. The settlement in Samaria finds the boys who come from outside Samaria and create violence to be contemptible. We say to those unwelcome guests who came to Samaria through bizarre WhatsApp groups in order to cause disorder and violence: If you want to behave violently, don't come here to Samaria - you are not welcome here." The two added, "We are already dealing here with terrorism, political difficulties from within the country and abroad, and we do not need your acts of violence and the bad name you give to the communities in Judea and Samaria and to the entire State of Israel. Recently there has been an increase in the number of terrorist attacks in the region. We know and see that the army is operating on the ground in order to calm things down and bring security to all of us and always demand more action and a tougher hand against terrorism." "We have not lost sight of the fact that the young Arab who was killed during the incident is a definite supporter of terrorism, who was photographed with a weapon and posted on networks supporting the murderous Lions’ Den terrorist organization and acts of murder and terrorism - but we stress the obvious: The handling of terrorists and supporters of terrorism must be left to the IDF. Violent acts like we saw in Jit must not happen and have no place." In their statement, the two detailed the circumstances of the incident and said, "This is a serious incident that began with a report of rock throwing on the road near the village of Jit. In the wake of the report, which is still being investigated, a call was circulated in a WhatsApp group used by teens, the vast majority of whom are not from Samaria at all. And as a result, a group arrived of teenagers, most of whom are not from Samaria at all. A group of Israelis entered the village of Jit, and as a result, severe clashes developed between Arabs from the village, which included mutual attacks. Those who come to cause disorder and violence - do not come to Samaria." The head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, Israel Ganz, said, "Even in the midst of a wave of terrorism and tensions, only the security forces and the army are authorized to deal with our enemy. The rioters must be thoroughly investigated and duly punished. Those who practice violence harm us all, serve the pro-Palestinian agenda and are not welcome in the region." Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commented on the incident and said, "While our soldiers are fighting on the various fronts to defend the State of Israel, a handful of extremists who do not represent the values of the settlement in Samaria, riot and harm innocent civilians." "I strongly condemn any type of violence and give full support to the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Israel Police to carry out their duties and deal with the issue seriously. The riots by extremists go against every moral and value of the State of Israel," Gallant added. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the violence in Jit and said, "I told the Chief of Staff this evening that, the fact that we do not support the soldiers in shooting any terrorist who throws rocks, leads to incidents of the type that happened tonight. At the same time, it is unequivocally forbidden to take the law into one's own hands." "The IDF is the one who needs to deal with terrorism and deterrence, also towards terrorists from the village of Jit. It's time for the Defense Minister to get out of the concept and do it," Ben Gvir added. The Arabs reported that a 20-year-old Palestinian Arab was shot dead during Thursday evening’s clashes. The incident is being investigated by the defense establishment. The Palestinian Arab Ministry of Health reported that a second person suffered serious injuries. Security forces were rushed to the scene to remove the extremist activists who, according to reports, set fire to houses and vehicles, and also threw rocks and firebombs. Related articles: Two rapid response team members from nearby community dismissed Administrative arrest warrants against four right-wing activists Four arrested for involvement in Jit riot 'Those who were once our targets have become ministers' The security forces arrested one Israeli citizen who was handed over to the Israel Police for further questioning. Following the incident, a joint investigation was launched by the IDF, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police. "The IDF condemns events of this type and the rioters, who harm security, law and order, and divert the IDF and the security forces from their main mission of thwarting terrorism and protecting the security of the residents," it said.
