Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) on Saturday issued a condemnation of the violence perpetrated against Palestinian Authority residents of Umm Safa.
“I strongly condemn the violence perpetrated against residents of the village of Umm Safa, including the burning of houses and vehicles,” he said. “This is not our way of life. IDF troops have my full backing in their work to thwart terrorism and defend the residents of Judea and Samaria. They are working with great determination and perseverance. I have given a clear directive to our troops to maintain order and stability, and to prevent acts of violence perpetrated by civilians in the area.”
At the same time, IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi, Director of the Israel Security Agency Ronen Bar, and Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov (Kobi) Shabtai issued a joint statement, saying: “In recent days, violent attacks have been carried out by Israelis in Judea and Samaria against innocent Palestinians. These attacks contradict every moral and Jewish value they constitute, in every way, nationalist terrorism, and we are obliged to fight them.”

“Israel”s security forces are operating against those rioters, risking the lives of IDF soldiers, Israel Police officers and ISA personnel.”
“This violence increases Palestinian terrorism and harms the State of Israel and the international legitimacy of Israel”s security forces to fight Palestinian terrorism,” they claimed. “It also diverts the security forces from their main mission of operating against Palestinian terrorism.”
“The IDF, ISA and Israel Police are committed to continuing to operate with determination and using all the means that are at our disposal to maintain security and the law in Judea and Samaria. The IDF will divert and reinforce security forces to prevent incidents of this type from occurring in Judea and Samaria, and the ISA will conduct an increased number of arrests, including administrative arrests, of the rioters who act in a violent and extreme manner inside the Palestinian towns. We call on the leaders and educators in the communities to publicly denounce these acts of violence and to join the effort to fight against them.”