UN has falsely accused settlers of attacking Palestinians, Dagan charges

• Author: TOVAH LAZAROFF
• Published date: 06 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

In a letter written to UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland last week, Dagan took issue with Wennesland's briefing to the Security Council in New York in August that included allegations by a Palestinian teen that he had been kidnapped and beaten by a group of settlers. The letter was released to the press Tuesday night.

Dagan said that Wennesland called the alleged attacks by Jews against a Palestinian teen "heinous" but Palestinians convicted of killing Jews in terror attacks were called "martyrs."

cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });

>

The difference between the language used to describe Jewish and Palestinian violence was antisemitic, said Dagan.

In addition, the accusations by the Palestinian teen were unsubstantiated and taken out of context.

IDF and Israel Police forces in August linked the kidnapping accusations to reports of a stone-throwing incident that occurred near the evacuated Homesh settlement near the northern West Bank Palestinian city of Jenin.

The army at the time said it had received a report that day of Palestinians throwing stones at Israelis near Homesh.

Forces that arrived at the scene saw the Israelis, presumed to be settlers, chasing after a Palestinian teen. The soldiers intervened and returned the teen to his family, the IDF said at the time.

Palestinian NGO Defense for Children International-Palestine filmed the teen Tareq Abdel Razzak Mohammed Zubaidi, age 15, describing the event and publicized his narrative.

"On 17 August, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy was attacked in the northern West Bank, during which a group of Israeli settlers kidnapped the boy, tied him to a tree, and brutally assaulted, cut and burned him," Wennesland told the UNSC.

"I am deeply concerned by this heinous act and I expect the Israeli authorities to undertake a swift, thorough and transparent investigation and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable," he added. Wennesland made no reference to any reports of a stone-throwing that led to the attack.

Dagan disputed Wennesland's description of the attack. "Israeli authorities do not seem to have found any evidence that the teenaged member of the rock-throwing gang was "kidnapped" or "brutally assaulted" or burned by any Jewish individual...