IDF and police forces operated early Saturday morning to disperse a group of approximately 40 Jews who had gathered near the Palestinian town of Kafr Malik in the Binyamin region, near Ramallah, and violently attacked reservists stationed in the area.
According to the IDF, the soldiers were assaulted with punches, choked, and pelted with rocks. Among those attacked was the battalion commander. The rioters also punctured the tires of security vehicles that responded to the incident.
Footage of the moments following the clash shows the battalion commander, who was among those attacked, telling the settlers, "Because of you we are here, all day long every single day, instead of protecting the citizens."
Nine suspects were arrested. The soldiers sustained light injuries.
In a statement, the IDF clarified: "Overnight (Friday), IDF soldiers identified several Israeli civilians driving toward an area designated as a closed military zone, near the village of Kafr Malik. The soldiers were dispatched to the scene to disperse the gathering."
"Upon the arrival of the security forces, dozens of Israeli civilians hurled stones toward them and physically and verbally assaulted the soldiers, including the Battalion Commander.
"In addition, the civilians vandalized and damaged security forces' vehicles, and attempted to ram the security forces.
"The security forces dispersed the gathering, and six Israeli civilians were apprehended and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing.
"The IDF and Israel Police condemn any act of violence against security forces and will act firmly against any attempt to harm security personnel carrying out their duty to protect Israeli citizens.
"The IDF and Israel Police will continue to focus on ensuring the safety of civilians, while also enforcing the law and preventing illegal activity in all its forms."
A similar incident occurred on Wednesday evening in the village of al-Mughayyir in the Binyamin region.
The IDF said that an officer was lightly injured in clashes between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs after property was set on fire in the village. Five Israelis were arrested and transferred to police investigation.
Upon receiving the report, IDF and Israeli Police forces were dispatched to the scene and operated to disperse the confrontation.
Afterward, several terrorists fired from within al-Mughayyir and hurled rocks at the forces, who opened fire toward the source of fire and the rock-hurlers.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)