Shoot Palestinians, not settlers: Israeli general exposes double standard

Leaked comments from Major-General Avi Bluth, the Israeli commander responsible for the occupied West Bank, reveal a discriminatory firing policy. Bluth reportedly boasted that the Israeli army was "killing like we haven’t killed since 1967" and "turning villages into conflict zones." Crucially, he admitted to a two-tier system where Israeli forces avoid firing at Israeli settlers throwing stones, citing "profound societal consequences," while freely firing at Palestinians engaged in the same activity. Bluth stated the military killed 42 Palestinian stone-throwers in 2025. These comments, published by Haaretz, expose an alleged double standard and prejudice in Israeli military operations in the West Bank.

Israeli army chief in the West Bank, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, reportedly stated that troops are "killing like we haven’t killed since 1967." These remarks, made in a closed forum and leaked to Haaretz, detailed the fatal shooting of 42 Palestinian stone-throwers last year, which Bluth classified as terrorism. He admitted to discriminatory practices, noting that Jewish settlers engaging in similar actions are not shot, citing societal consequences. Bluth also revealed that soldiers are permitted to shoot Palestinians attempting to cross the separation barrier at the knee or below as a deterrent, justifying these actions by labeling illegal workers as potential terrorists. He framed these policies within a "survival of the fittest" context, referencing the 1967 war.