Israeli media reported April 14 that settlers had attacked Israeli troops near the illegal West Bank Baladim outpost in the Benjamin Regional Council. Coverage of this serious incident included a brief video clip showing a few masked young people throwing rocks at a passing Israel Defense Forces (IDF) patrol. According to the report, the patrol was responding to reports in the area of a possible clash between settlers and local Palestinians. Since no one was hurt in the incident, it did not create major headlines. No government representatives condemned the attack or even expressed support for the soldiers.
Events like that, in which settlers attack IDF troops in the territories, have become a matter of routine. As long as they don't end in injury, they have no chance of registering on the public agenda of the media or government.
In this particular case, the assailants were young people living in the Baladim outpost. The residents of this outpost are part of the most extreme, hardcore activists of the Hilltop Youth, opposed even to IDF operations in their area.
This is not the first time these young people have attacked Israeli troops. The Shin Bet and the Israeli police are well-aware of how dangerous they are. This raises a key question: How can these settlers feel confident enough to continue attacking soldiers, when all of the relevant authorities know exactly where they can be found and exactly how violent they can be?
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