Daughter Defends 90-Year-Old Suspect in Gush Etzion Vehicle Incident, Denies Settler Violence Claims

Anat Kedem, daughter of a 90-year-old Israeli man suspected of hitting a woman and a teenager with his car in Gush Etzion, has publicly defended her father and rejected accusations made by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The incident occurred on Friday at Havat Tomer near the Gush Etzion junction, where police reported that the elderly man was filming with a camera when a confrontation with a local youth escalated. The suspect then allegedly hit the teenager with his vehicle, who did not require medical treatment, and subsequently struck a woman who tried to intervene, causing her minor injuries.

Kedem described her father as a nature photography enthusiast with a passion for history and travel, who has been visiting the area regularly after joining a free tour organized by the Binyamin Regional Council. She said her father became a supporter of the settlements through these tours, believing they reclaim ancestral lands from Arabs and perform important Zionist work. Regarding the incident, she claimed that "Hanoar HaGvaot," a youth group her father admired, physically assaulted him, making him feel his life was in danger.

She also criticized the police for initially denying her father access to a lawyer, noting that attorney Gonen Ben Yitzhak eventually secured his release from custody. Kedem concluded by asserting that while some labeled her father an anarchist, it was the settlers who actually provoked him. The police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case, with the suspect’s vehicle seized and further inquiries ongoing at the Etzion police station.