On the morning of 17 March 2019, a Palestinian stabbed and shot an
Israeli soldier, Gal Keidan, to death and then shot a settler, Achiad
Ettinger, (after stealing his car at Ariel junction). He also fired at
other soldiers. Ettinger died of his wounds the next day. One of the
soldiers was seriously wounded. Immediately after the incident, settlers
set out to attack Palestinians throughout the West Bank.
In one incident, dozens of settlers threw stones at homes and cars in
the village of ‘Asirah al-Qibliyah. The settlers smashed two windows in
one home, and damaged two cars. Soldiers who arrived on the scene made
no arrests, and even took part in the assault.
Five days later, on 21 March 2019, dozens of settlers raided the village
of ‘Urif. The settlers chased a local shepherd up to the water
reservoir on the eastern outskirts of the village. Officers and soldiers
then joined the settlers. While the settlers threw stones at village
homes and broke a private electric meter installed in one of the homes,
soldiers fired live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets, and
threw teargas canisters at the Palestinian residents who were trying to
protect their homes. The settlers and soldiers left after about an hour