‘Israel’ admits different rules for shooting Palestinians & Jews: Haaretz

Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, head of the ‘Israeli’ military Central Command, acknowledged that the military applies unequal enforcement policies against stone-throwers in the West Bank, distinguishing between Jewish settlers and Palestinians.

In remarks made during a closed forum and reported by Haaretz on Monday, Bluth stated that soldiers avoid opening fire on Jewish stone-throwers due to profound “societal consequences,” while endorsing loosened rules of engagement that permit live fire against Palestinians.

"In 2025, we killed 42 stone-throwers on the roads,” Bluth said.

Bluth said that firing on ‘Israeli’ settlers would likely exacerbate tensions within ‘Israeli’ society and undermine its stability.

“I’m not sure that opening fire on every Israeli stone-thrower would help; I think it would do the exact opposite,” he was quoted as saying.

He explicitly recognized “some discrimination” in the enforcement approach but defended it as necessary to prevent wider repercussions.

In contrast, Bluth highlighted different rules of engagement for Palestinians, particularly in the “seam zone” along the West Bank separation barrier.

‘Israeli’ troops there may now employ procedures that escalate to shooting at the legs as a deterrent against attempts to cross into ‘Israel’.

He took pride that this policy has resulted in numerous Palestinian casualties and said it serves as a strong deterrent effect, according to the report by Haaretz.

Bluth cited the case of what he said was "a 15-year-old anarchist from Beit She'an, mentally disturbed, who threw rocks at an army jeep at midnight. The officer who shot and hit him in the shoulder didn't know it was Jews until he heard them speaking Hebrew.”

“In another incident near Givat Assaf, a police officer fired to eliminate a threat, hitting someone in the neck. Luckily, the Jews were not killed,” he said.

The commander also referenced broader disparities in security measures.

He pointed out that over 4,000 Palestinians are currently held in administrative detention without trial, while no ‘Israelis’ are subject to the same measure.