A burning swastika inside a Star of David, erected on Aug. 14, 2021 during riots in the village of Beita in Samaria. Source: Screenshot.

Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz urged the international community and the Palestinian Authority to take action against the Palestinians who burned a swastika inside a Star of David during riots in the West Bank over the weekend.

“The use of Nazi symbols by Palestinians during protests in Judea and Samaria is a serious offense. I call on the international community and the Palestinian Authority to condemn this unequivocally and to take action against the instigators who crossed a red line,” Gantz said.

Palestinians erected a flaming swastika around the West Bank village of Beita in protest of the Israeli outpost Evyatar. The riots on Saturday marked 100 days of demonstrations against the outpost. The riots in the area, including the burning of tires and the firing of fireworks, have continued in recent weeks after settlers evacuated the Evyatar hilltop. Back in June, the Israeli government struck a deal with the settlers to leave the hilltop and in exchange Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pledged to legalize a community on the disputed land. In the meantime, an army base will reside there and then a yeshiva.

“We strongly condemn the use of Nazi symbols during the violent riots organized next to the village of Beita. In using these symbols of hate, the demonstrators crossed a line in a way which contradicts moral and basic human values. This type of act does not represent the values of any society, particularly not the Palestinian one,” said Major General Rassan Alian, the head of COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories).

“The use of such symbols takes us back to mankind’s darkest time in human history. Therefore, anyone who took part in this dreadful event should be ashamed of himself. Any comparison between Nazi and Zionist ideas indicates just how ignorant the person who does such a thing really is, both historically and morally. We strongly condemn this shameful act and call upon the Palestinian people to do the same,” Alian added.