Far-Left Activist Hits Two Jews With Car in Gush Etzion Settlement Area

A far-left activist, approximately 90 years old, drove into two Jewish residents at Havat Tomer in the Gush Etzion area on Friday. Both victims sustained light injuries. The incident began when the activist confronted a local teenage boy and then got into his car, striking the boy lightly. Subsequently, a local woman approached the vehicle to question the driver, who allegedly continued driving, hitting her and dragging her several meters. She was also lightly injured. The suspect was detained for further investigation, and his vehicle was confiscated.

Religious Zionist Party chairman and minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the attack, calling on the president to denounce the violence immediately. He linked the incident to incitement campaigns by left-wing figures such as Yair Golan and urged them to retract statements about evacuating the settlements after elections. Smotrich warned that failure to respond would encourage further violence against settlement pioneers.

Regional council heads also reacted strongly. Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and Yesha Council, described the attack as an unacceptable crossing of a red line by a left-wing anarchist and called on security forces to remove violent elements from the area. Yaron Rosenthal, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, expressed shock but said the attack was not surprising given ongoing provocations by anarchists. He urged security forces to use all available means to protect settlement pioneers.

The incident highlights ongoing tensions and violence involving left-wing activists and settlers in the West Bank, with local leaders demanding stronger security measures to prevent future attacks.