Israel settler uses soldier’s gun to shoot at Palestinians in West Bank

An Israeli settler shot at Palestinians in the occupied West Bank using an Israeli soldier’s weapon, footage released by rights group B’Tselem shows.

Palestinian who witnessed the incident, which took place on 26 June, said the soldier gave the settler the weapon, while the Israeli military claims the settler “took the weapon from the soldier and shot in the air”, Haaretz reported.

“With me there were 10 children on the roof and all of us shook, he didn’t fire in the air, he shot toward us,” one Palestinian resident said. Another eyewitness, who was on the same roof, also said he saw the soldier give his gun to the settler, Haaretz added.

The video, taken in Al-Tuwani village, also shows the settlers attacking Palestinian property, ripping branches off olive trees, throwing stones as Palestinians and setting Palestinian property on fire, all in the presence of occupation forces.

The Israel army’s Spokesperson’s Unit said: “A violent incident developed between settlers and Palestinians,” which included “mutual rock throwing and [Palestinians] shooting fireworks at settlers. An IDF [army] soldier collected in a military vehicle a resident who asked to direct him, and when they reached the site rocks were thrown at the vehicle. In response, the resident took the gun from the soldier and fired in the air. There were no injuries. In light of the severity of the incident, the soldier was summoned for an immediate investigation and clarification by the brigade commander, and the regulations were clarified.”

This incident, Palestinian news site Safa said, is further proof of the joint cooperation between Israeli settlers and the army in their aggression against Palestinians.

In May, 11 Palestinians were killed in Israeli army and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, Safa said.

READ: UN urges Israel to investigate killing of Palestine child in West Bank