An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier was lightly injured in a mob attack by a group of Palestinian women as he tried to arrest a young Palestinian boy in the village of Nabi Saleh on Friday.

The boy had been identified as being involved in a violent incident of rock-throwing against IDF soldiers. Upon attempting to arrest the boy, the soldier was set upon by the women of the village. The village has been the scene of many violent protests in the past, often instigated by left-wing agitators who are not residents.

The struggle between the soldier and the Palestinian women was filmed and the video posted on YouTube. The officer decided not to arrest the boy as a result of the conflict with the people of the village.

Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman demanded that MK Tzahi Hanegbi (Likud) convene an urgent meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to discuss the IDF’s rules of engagement for dealing with such confrontations.

“We are talking about an incident which severely harms the deterrent capacity of the IDF,” Liberman said. “The pictures – which show an IDF soldier being hit by Palestinian women and children, and in the end giving up on (arresting) the rock-thrower who started the whole incident – broadcasts weakness and helplessness on the part of the IDF and Israel.”

Liberman blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon for the situation.

“Netanyahu and Yaalon’s conduct broadcasts to the soldiers of the IDF that they are fighting to defend the State of Israel without backup and without direction – and this is the result.”