Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev. Photo: Yosius/Wikimedia.

i24 News – Israel’s Public Security Minister Omer Barlev wrote a letter to Defense Minister Benny Gantz, calling for greater army involvement in combating violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to a report published Thursday.

Barlev’s letter came after Israel’s military chief Aviv Kochavi said soldiers in the West Bank were not required to intervene in attacks by Jewish settlement residents against Palestinians, according to the Walla news site.

Barlev, who oversees the police, asked Gantz to make it clear to Kochavi and other military officials that the attorney-general ruled that soldiers can and should arrest Israelis suspected of attacks in the West Bank.

In recent months, violence by residents in the settlements increased, and soldiers are sometimes seen passively watching these acts.

Soldiers are legally permitted — and in some cases required — to intervene to prevent violent attacks, regardless of their nationality.

On Sunday, Barlev was asked about police handling of attacks on Palestinians, Israeli leftists, and security forces at a security cabinet meeting. He replied that this was the responsibility of the Israeli army’s central command and that the police had limited manpower in the West Bank.

He also said that soldiers in the West Bank have the same authority as the police against Israeli civilians, according to Walla.