Netanyahu was asked why violent settlers are not arrested - and accused: "The courts are lenient with them"
In an interview with CNN, the interviewer asked the Prime Minister about violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. Netanyahu claimed it is only about 150 young individuals, said the issue is "inflated beyond all…
Assessment
The prime minister deflected a question about why violent settlers are not arrested by blaming the courts for leniency, calling the problem of about 150 youths inflated out of proportion. When asked about a Palestinian-American beaten to death near Ramallah last year, he said he was not sure he knew the case. This exchange in an international interview places the Israeli government's accountability for settler violence under direct scrutiny from a global audience, and the prime minister's responses suggest a deliberate distancing from specific incidents.