The guests at the settlement radical’s funeral praised his thirst for revenge against Palestinian women and children, Israeli media reports. told about the man’s actions last year.
21:43•Updated 21:47
Extremist speeches at funeral of settler radical have attracted attention in Isreal, newspapers Haaretz and Times of Israel tell.
Died in the ranks of the Israeli army at the age of 22 of Shuvael Ben-Natan funeral guests on Sunday praised his thirst for revenge against Palestinian women and children and admired his zeal to destroy Gaza.
reported on Ben-Natan’s actions a year ago. At the time, he was suspected of shooting a Palestinian man in the Israeli-occupied West Bank near the city of Nablus. Father of four children Bilal Saleh was killed while gathering olives.
I saw the widow of the man who was shot Ekhlas Saleh told about the shooting:
Israeli military police detained Ben-Natan for questioning, but later released him, Haaretz reports.
At the time, Ben-Natan’s lawyer said he would have only fired warning shots and into the air. However, Bilan Saleh was killed by a shot in the chest.
The investigation of the case is reportedly still ongoing.
The violence of the settlers has intensified
Bilal Saleh’s fate was not exceptional.
The attacks of settlement radicals against Palestinians have intensified in the West Bank after last year’s terrorist attack by the extremist organization Hamas and the start of the Gaza war. Only very few of the cases have resulted in a conviction.
Israel has established settlements in the occupied West Bank, even though this is against international law.
Settler radicals support the expansion of settlements and think that Palestinians have no right to live in Israel or the West Bank.
Funeral guests celebrate revenge
Reserve soldier Ben-Natan took part in Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and was killed in the battles against the extremist organization Hezbollah. Funeral guests praised Ben-Natan’s thirst for revenge in Israeli operations.
– You went to Gaza to take revenge as much as possible, women and children, whoever and as much as possible, his brother Uriah Ben-Nathan recalled in his funeral speech, according to Haaretz.
The brother said he hoped that the people of Israel would now avenge Ben-Natan’s death with blood.
Another guest who spoke said he was impressed that Ben-Natan shot Palestinian Saleh a year ago.
Ben-Natan’s comrade-in-arms recalled that he was the funniest person in the unit.
– We met for the first time in Gaza, when you burned down a house without permission just for the atmosphere, Haaretz reports the guest as saying.