90-Year-Old Israeli Detained for Attempted Vehicle Attack in Gush Etzion Settlement

A 90-year-old Israeli man was detained on suspicion of attempting to run over residents in the Gush Etzion area following a verbal dispute. The incident occurred near Havat Tomer, close to Tekoa, where the suspect reportedly began filming the site before a confrontation with a local teenager escalated. After the argument, the suspect got into his vehicle and lightly struck the teenager, who did not require medical treatment.

Subsequently, a local woman approached the vehicle to question the suspect's actions. The driver then accelerated, dragging her several meters and causing minor injuries. Police from the Etzion station responded to reports of the incident, detained the suspect, and confiscated his vehicle. The case is under ongoing investigation and has been classified as a criminal matter.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the attack on social media, attributing it to what he described as an incitement campaign by left-wing figures including Yair Golan. Smotrich urged President Isaac Herzog to denounce internal violence and called on Golan, Itzik Shmuli, and Naftali Bennett to retract statements about evacuating the settlements after the elections. He warned that failure to do so would be seen as permitting further violence against settlement pioneers.