It’s a scene repeated every night – soldiers and Border Police officers gathering at a military base in the West Bank, waiting for the order to head out for another arrest raid.

Jerusalem Post reporter Anna Ahronheim rides along with the IDF troops on raids of Palestinian homes in the West Bank.  These raids are nightly occurrences that begin after midnight.

A similar script is followed over and over again as Israeli security forces, including the IDF, the Israel Police and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), carry out near nightly raids in the West Bank in an attempt to arrest Palestinians suspected of violence against Israelis.

The reason for the raids is to capture Palestinians accused of “terrorist acts” against Israelis, but they are also used to terrorize Palestinians.

“These operations are very important because we have to show them [the Palestinians] that we can get them in their homes,” .

Does anyone question if these raids are actually causing more radicalization?  One IDF soldier gives the standard police and military justification for their actions.

When asked if he thought these nightly raids didn’t just further radicalize the population against Israel and the IDF, Appelbaum was clear: he is saving lives.

“It doesn’t matter to me. At the end of the day, I have orders and I carry them out.

For more on the conflict, Sheldon Richman’s new book is out and available on Amazon.

Coming to Palestine by Sheldon Richman