Full Breakdown
Soldier Shoots Palestinian Man During Settler Clash Near Jenin
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident in Faqoua Village
On Saturday, Israeli soldiers arrived at the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Faqoua, near Jenin, after reports of a clash between Palestinians and settlers from the newly established Zayit Bagilboa farming outpost. According to the Israeli military, Palestinians allegedly hurled stones at the settlers, prompting troops to fire warning shots into the air and then fire at a Palestinian man, striking him in the leg. Video footage released by the military shows the victim not throwing stones or posing an apparent threat when he was shot. The injured man was taken for treatment by the Palestinian Red Crescent; his condition was not disclosed. The incident occurred on the Jewish Sabbath and during Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.
Settlement Outpost Background
Zayit Bagilboa is a farming outpost whose land claims are contested. The Palestinian Authority’s WAFA news agency says the land belongs to Faqoua, while Israel’s Army Radio reports that the area was declared part of the settlement farm when the outpost was founded earlier this summer. Farming outposts in the West Bank are considered illegal under Israeli law because they are established without the required permits, yet many receive varying degrees of government support and some are later formally recognized.
Military Investigation and Official Response
The Israeli Defense Forces announced that commanders are investigating the soldier’s actions and that findings will be forwarded to the relevant authorities for review. The military’s statement emphasized that the investigation follows a breach of army protocol, noting that the soldier’s use of live fire against an unarmed individual is under scrutiny.
Wider Impact of Outpost-Related Violence
The left-wing organization Peace Now, which opposes West Bank settlements, estimates that roughly 120 farming outposts have been created in the three-plus years since the current government took office. Peace Now argues that several of these outposts have become “hotbeds for settler violence,” terrorizing nearby Palestinian communities and serving as tools for far-right activists to expand Israeli control over West Bank territory.