Settler raid on West Bank village injures Israeli forces, drawing rare government rebuke

More than 100 Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village in the northern occupied West Bank before dawn on Tuesday, injuring three members of Israel's security forces and prompting unusually sharp condemnation from senior Israeli officials, according to France 24.

The violence unfolded in Jalud as Israeli troops were escorting a Palestinian family back to their home, from which they had fled two months earlier following previous settler assaults. Israeli military officials said a large group of rioters gathered in the area overnight, blocking roads, igniting tires and throwing stones at soldiers and border police who tried to break up the crowd.

Three Israel Border Police officers sustained minor injuries and a security vehicle was damaged during the confrontation, the military reported. Authorities said one person was arrested and two minors were detained for questioning. Officials also said the settlers set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles, an act that ultimately blocked the displaced family from returning to their property.

Mahmoud al-Toubasi, whose family had been trying to move back into their house, described the scene to AFP. He said he traveled to the property with his wife and son under military escort, front and back, when settlers confronted them on arrival. Soldiers used pepper spray to push the crowd back, he said. "We were not physically injured, but we suffered some choking from the pepper spray," al-Toubasi told AFP.

The episode drew a rare rebuke from Israel's top leadership, even though most settler violence targets Palestinians rather than Israeli forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the unrest to what he called a small band of rioters, saying their conduct damages the surrounding community and obstructs the work of Israeli forces. President Isaac Herzog, whose position is largely ceremonial, described the assault as a moral failing that undermines the rule of law and core national values, France 24 reported.

The condemnation comes days after Netanyahu played down international concern over settler violence during an address to the United Nations, according to the outlet.

A second attack also took place Tuesday in the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, where residents told AFP that dozens of settlers descended from nearby hilltop outposts. An AFP journalist at the scene counted at least five burned vehicles. Al-Mughayyir has repeatedly been targeted because of its remote location surrounded by settlement outposts, the report said.

In nearby Beitunia, dozens of settlers gathered with loudspeakers to hold a prayer service marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to the town's mayor, Ribhi Dawla, who called the gathering a troubling sign of expanding settlement ambitions in the area, pointing to a recently installed caravan and gate on the town's western edge.

Data cited by France 24 from the United Nations shows settler attacks on Palestinians, including beatings, arson and property destruction, have averaged six incidents a day during the first half of this year. Roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers currently live among about three million Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and where settlement construction has continued to expand despite being considered illegal under international law.

The report also noted that violence in the territory has escalated sharply since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Citing Palestinian health ministry figures compiled by AFP, at least 1,111 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers during that period, while Israeli figures show at least 49 Israelis have died in Palestinian attacks or related military operations over the same span.

The unrest also follows growing diplomatic pressure on Israel, with France 24 noting that Britain, the Netherlands and other nations have moved to restrict imports of goods produced in West Bank settlements, a step that has drawn strong objections from the Israeli government.