PM demands arrests after Israeli extremists spark unrest in Palestinian villages of Qusra and Jalud, saying violence obstructs IDF troops and damages Israel’s standing abroadItamar Eichner, Idan Bloemhof, Gal Ganot, Einav Halabi|Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned violence by Israeli extremists in the West Bank villages of Qusra and Jalud on Saturday, calling those responsible a “handful of rioters” who had broken the law, obstructed IDF troops and damaged Israel’s international standing.The condemnation came after the IDF said “dozens of rioters” entered Qusra, a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, and threw stones at Palestinians and others in the area.Israeli extremists in Jalud“I strongly condemn the criminal acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud by a handful of rioters who are breaking the law, causing enormous harm to the law-abiding settler community, interfering with the IDF in carrying out its missions and damaging Israel’s standing in the world,” Netanyahu said after Shabbat ended Saturday evening.Netanyahu said for the first time that the Shin Bet domestic security agency was involved in investigating the violence.“Security forces acted quickly, confiscated three vehicles and brought the incident to an end within a short time,” he said. “The IDF, Shin Bet and police are conducting an intensive investigation on the ground, and I expect law enforcement authorities to arrest the rioters and bring them to justice as soon as possible.”Galleryעימותים בקוסרהעימותים בקוסרהNo arrests had been reported as of Saturday evening.The IDF said the rioters threw stones at Palestinians and other civilians. When troops arrived, they found dozens of rioters barricaded inside a Palestinian home while Palestinian residents were also inside, according to the military.Foreign journalists were also attacked during the unrest, with stones thrown at them and the window of their vehicle smashed. The rioters later continued to nearby Jalud, where masked people were filmed riding in pickup trucks.Foreign journalists also attacked during the unrest, with stones thrown at them and the window of their vehicle smashedMasked rioters seen riding in pickup trucks toward JaludThe military and Border Police said they were aware of reports of Palestinians injured in the violence, including a Palestinian woman whose condition was described as not requiring urgent treatment. She was evacuated by the Palestinian Red Crescent for medical care.Security forces said they initially worked to remove the rioters from the house and separate the groups “in order to protect the occupants of the home.”The military said vehicles belonging to the Israeli rioters and suspected of having been used to reach the villages were confiscated.Palestinian residents offered their own accounts of the confrontation, including allegations about the conduct of Israeli troops that could not be independently verified.Luay Bayruti, the owner of the home at the center of the incident (Photo: Ammar Awad/Reuters)Luay Bayruti, the owner of the home at the center of the incident, told Reuters that his family had been trapped inside as the building was surrounded and stones were thrown at it. He said the group outside grew from about six people to more than 70 before Israeli forces arrived.Saddam Odaay, another one of those trapped, similarly told Reuters that dozens of people surrounded the house and threw stones toward those inside.Palestinians said six residents of the village were detained, though the IDF and Border Police did not report any arrests.President Isaac Herzog also issued a sharp condemnation Saturday evening.IDF forces in Qusra (Photo: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)“I strongly condemn the serious acts of violence in Qusra,” Herzog said. “This is the crossing of a red line by lawbreakers acting in complete contradiction to the laws and values of the State of Israel.”Herzog called the violence “another incident in a series of events that stain Israel’s image and demand firm and decisive action.”“I support the IDF, which is doing its utmost,” he said. “The government, security agencies, judicial system and law enforcement authorities must act with every tool available and in full coordination to uproot this unacceptable phenomenon and bring the rioters to justice.”Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot blamed the government for what he described as growing lawlessness by a violent minority in the West Bank.Clashes between settlers and Palestinians in Qusra“The growing anarchy of a violent minority and the loss of control over them in Judea and Samaria are a security, leadership, diplomatic and moral disgrace that does not represent the overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens and distracts the IDF from its primary mission,” Eisenkot said, using the biblical name for the West Bank commonly used in Israel.He accused Netanyahu and his coalition partners of pursuing policies that “knowingly abandon the national interest of the State of Israel” because of political weakness.The violence in Qusra comes weeks after an unauthorized Israeli outpost was established near Palestinian homes in the area as an extension of the Tel Talpiot outpost, prompting international criticism and intervention by the White House.IDF forces in Qusra (Photo: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)Security forces returned the following day in another attempt to evacuate the unauthorized outpost.