Rock-Throwing Attacks in Shomron, Beit Shemesh

YERUSHALAYIM

IDF troops had to be called in to disperse dozens of rock-throwing Arabs who had set upon a group of Israeli tourists in the Shomron on Friday morning, reports Hamodia senior correspondent A. Pe’er.

The group of about a hundred Israelis from various parts of the country were attacked as they hiked from Yitzhar to Tapuach Junction. When the rock throwers appeared, the hikers tried to veer away to avoid trouble, but the Arabs pursued them, shouting curses and throwing rocks.

The IDF used tear gas and shots fired into the air to disperse the attackers. B’chasdei Shamayim, no one was reported hurt.

The group, Amitim L’tiyulim, organizes tours to different locations in Israel every Friday morning.

Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, a resident of Beit Shemesh reported to Arutz Sheva that Arabs attacked his family’s home with a barrage of stones, causing them to take cover for fear of a potential “lynch.”

“Arabs threw three good-sized stones into our living room on Friday afternoon,” said the resident of an older neighborhood in Beit Shemesh. “One of them hit a pergola on our porch as our children were playing under it.”

The resident noted that the incident represented a departure from the petty harassment he and his neighbors have often suffered from the local Arabs.

“But rock throwing is something new. A red line has been crossed,” he said.

Most families in the neighborhood do not let their teenage daughters out of the house at night, the resident said, for fear of the Arabs. Parents regularly accompany their children to bus stops and often wait with them, to ensure their safety.

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