'Settler violence? A false claim and our job as a state is to refute it'

 

Religious Zionism MK Tzvi Sucoct demands that Israeli officials push back on claims of settler violence.

After the publication on Arutz Sheva - Israel National News showing a drastic decrease in nationalist crime this year compared to previous years, and in the shadow of the war, on Saturday evening, MK Tzvi Succot (Religious Zionism), chairman of the subcommittee on Jewish affairs, sent a letter to the Foreign Minister and the IDF Spokesman, in which he called on them to refute the allegations of settler violence.

Succot opened the letter by saying that 

"In recent weeks, a false campaign has been carried out in the shadow of the war regarding 'settler violence.' Similar publications were in the New York Times, CNN, and many media outlets around the world."

Succot added that, "What all the publications have in common is the lack of an official response from the State of Israel to a publication that is based on Palestinian reports only." He noted that, "The false campaign about 'settler violence' severely damages the legitimacy of the State of Israel. This is what the Prime Minister also said this week in a conversation with the governors and even the President of the United States referred to this several times."

"Since this is a false campaign, which was refuted this week in a document presented to the commissioner and published on the Arutz Sheva - Israel National News website and according to what a senior official in the law enforcement system published on the Makor Rishon website, our role as a state is to refute the campaign."

Later in the letter, Succot quoted the document that was presented to the Commissioner and published on the Arutz Sheva - Israel National News website, showing a sharp decrease in the incidents of nationalist crime in Judea and Samaria in the month of October compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the document, which was drawn up by Israel Police's operations department, a dramatic decrease has been seen in almost all parameters related to Jewish violence. The document shows that the total number of events in October amounted to 97, compared to 184 last year.

In conclusion, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Jewish Affairs wrote, "As mentioned, this campaign is false and damages the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and as a result, I expect you as an official representing the State of Israel to refute the campaign in front of the global media."

"This evening I appealed to the Foreign Minister and the IDF Spokesman demanding that they refute the campaign regarding settler violence. This is a false campaign that harms the legitimacy of the State of Israel in the world, and it is appropriate that the official bodies that represent the State of Israel, led by the IDF spokesman and the Foreign Minister, refute it."