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Israeli Knesset member pulls a gun, says IDF soldiers hands are tied

IDF soldiers need to be told “that whoever throws stones should get a bullet in the head,” says MK Itamar Ben Gvir.

By World Israel News Staff

Religous Zionism MK Itamar Ben-Gvir brandished a gun at Arabs throwing stones at Jewish motorists driving on a Samaria motorway, successfully forcing them to stop hurling projectiles and leave the scene.

According to Hebrew-language media, Jewish drivers reported to the Israeli army on Sunday morning that locals from the Arab town of Al Aroub, north of Hebron, were throwing stones at passing vehicles.

Ben-Gvir, a Hebron resident, was driving nearby and arrived at the scene to investigate.

According to his account, the soldiers did not confront the stone throwers, saying that they had not been given permission by their commanders to respond.

He then pulled out his personal handgun and drove away the assailants, waiting at the scene until backup security forces arrived.

Ben-Gvir said that the incident reflects a failure of IDF policies, which restrict use of live fire in situations where it could potentially end in tragedy.

“This is lawlessness. Soldiers cannot respond by firing on terrorists until they have received permission, and travelers on the road are in real danger of death,” Ben-Gvir said.

“This time I managed to drive away the terrorists who threw stones and rocks after I pulled out my weapon, but it’s the job of IDF soldiers, who need to be instructed that whoever throws stones should get a bullet in the head.”

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The Israeli government reports that since the 1980s, at least 14 Israelis have been killed by stone-throwing attacks.

Some of the deaths occurred as a result of car accidents, when projectiles shattered the windshield of a vehicle and the driver lost control of their vehicle. Others are attributed to the blunt force impact and trauma caused by the stones, or rocks.

Three of the 14 Israelis killed by stone throwing attacks were Arab-Israelis, whom assailants mistakenly believed were Jewish.