On Tuesday, Arabs from the village of Kisan in eastern Gush Etzion reported to the IDF about an allegedly serious incident near the village. According to their report, settlers from nearby communities stole a flock of sheep and murdered the Arab shepherd who tried to prevent the theft.
At the time of the report, villagers claimed that the incident was still ongoing and that more locals were clashing with the settlers who had killed their relative. As a result of the severity of the report, large numbers of security forces were dispatched to the area and began extensive searches. However, after about an hour, it became clear that the incident never happened and was entirely fabricated.
After it became clear that the incident was based on a false report, the police summoned two Arab suspects for questioning at the station. However, by the time the details were clarified, senior officials in the security establishment had already declared it to be “a deliberate nationalist Jewish terror attack.”
Residents from the nearby communities spoke of a pattern of false complaints by local Arabs, which are consistently accepted at face value by the IDF and police.
“Today’s report was indeed extreme and exaggerated, but the false complaints they file against us happen here on a daily basis,” said one resident who runs a flock of sheep and a farm at one of the nearby outposts.
“You can go out to pasture, and they’ll report that you threw stones at them—even if nothing happened. You go out to plow a field—they report a violent attack near the village. Unfortunately, the police and the IDF automatically adopt the Arab side every time without a shred of evidence, and they refuse to understand that they’re being deceived,” the resident said.
A Joint Statement from the Police and IDF Spokespersons denied the claim that they consistently accept Arab accusations without corroborating evidence.
“The IDF and Israel Police take every report seriously, with a strong emphasis on ensuring the safety of residents in the area,” the statement read. “The claim that the IDF hastily classifies incidents without thorough investigation is entirely unfounded.
“Today, a report was received by the Israel Police regarding a Palestinian fatality and violent friction near Ma’ale Amos in the Etzion Regional Brigade area.
“According to the report, there was friction between several Israeli civilians and Palestinian shepherds. It also mentioned the alleged theft of a Palestinian flock. Upon receiving the report, security forces were immediately dispatched to the location to disperse the friction and rule out any security threat. Upon their arrival and investigation, it became clear that the report of a Palestinian fatality was incorrect.
“As for the individual who filed the report, he will be investigated and handled by the Israel Police. The security forces will continue to operate and protect the residents of the State of Israel, prioritizing the safety of the population above all.”
In response, a critical report by Shirel Lalum-Nahir was aired yesterday evening on Channel 14 under the headline, “Settler Violence Lie: Report of an Arab Murdered Turns Out to Be a Blood Libel”.
Also, news reporter Elisha Yered wrote on his telegram channel: We have more or less gotten used to the endless false reports by Arabs as part of the “settler violence” campaign by those who want to delegitimize the Jews living in Judea and Samaria, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen something like what happened yesterday- a report by Arabs of an Arab allegedly murdered during an incident that the Arabs entirely fabricated from beginning to end.”
