Israeli settler pogroms sweep West Bank as homes torched

Israeli settlers launched terror attacks against a Palestinian village in the northern occupied West Bank on Monday night, in the latest in a wave of anti-Palestinian pogroms across the territory.

Dozens of extremists stormed the village of Jalud, around 30 kilometres south of Nablus, setting fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles.

They torched two houses belonging to the Al-Tubasi family, who had returned to the village just hours earlier after being driven from the area by settlers two months ago, sources told the agency.

"More than 100 Israeli rioters were present in the village, blocking roads, setting tyres on fire and throwing stones at security forces," the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that the terrorists had "set fire to Palestinian buildings in the village, torched vehicles and other property".

Three officers were reportedly "lightly injured", and a police vehicle was damaged during the violence, according to the military. Security forces made just two arrests.

Palestinian villagers attempted to confront the settlers but were prevented from doing so by Israeli soldiers, who they said provided cover to the terrorists.

The Al-Tubasi family had fled the village in July following months of harassment by extremist settlers. Hours before Monday night's attack, Israeli forces had allowed them to return following a court order.

A member of the family told Haaretz that settlers began gathering after they arrived in the village. Security forces later came under attack as they escorted the family out of Jalud to the nearby town of Qusra, the family member said.

The family's lawyer told Haaretz that the army "bears full responsibility" for the violence after leaving the houses exposed to the settlers.

Two other Palestinian villages were also attacked on Monday night.

Settlers assaulted several homes and torched vehicles in Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, during an Israeli raid on the village. In Qaryut, south of Nablus, an elderly Palestinian woman was assaulted by extremists.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Tuesday that surging settler violence and rapid settlement expansion were making life increasingly untenable for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"The frequent and severe violence must be brought to an end," said Julien Lerisson, head of the ICRC’s delegation for Israel and the occupied territories. "Authorities have a responsibility to protect the population from violence, including when that violence is inflicted by settlers."

Explosion in settler terrorism

Since taking power at the end of 2022, Netanyahu's far-right government has presided over a surge in anti-Palestinian violence in the occupied West Bank, which Palestinians and rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of facilitating or failing to prevent.

The rate of settler terrorism has increased every year since 2023, reaching a record high this year, according to the UN.

The UN has documented more than 1,600 instances of settler violence between January and September this year, averaging 6.7 attacks per day.

Settlers killed almost two dozen Palestinians and injured more than 1,040 others during the first eight months of the year, according to UN figures. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have also been forcibly displaced from their homes amid settler attacks and Israeli military raids.

Israeli settlers are rarely prosecuted for violence against Palestinians.

Some of Israel's closest allies have stepped up criticism of the violence in recent weeks and announced measures targeting settlements.

The UK said this month it would cut ties with Israeli settlements and impose sanctions on companies involved in the settlement project. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused members of the Israeli government of facilitating ethnic cleansing and encouraging settler terrorism.

Other Western countries, including France, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain, have also announced measures targeting settlement trade.

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador in Jerusalem and a staunch supporter of Israel, has also accused settlers of committing acts of terrorism.

Israel's defence establishment has increasingly warned that settler violence poses a major national security threat.

In a rare warning this month, the country's leading security think tank said the proliferation of "Jewish terrorism" risked triggering the collapse of state institutions and cementing the country's status as an international pariah.

Israeli political figures issued rare condemnations following Monday night's violence.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he "strongly condemned" the attack, blaming a "handful of rioters", whom two Israeli military divisions currently operating in the occupied West Bank seem incapable of controlling.

Gadi Eisenkot, one of Netanyahu's main rivals in the upcoming election, called the attacks "horrifying" and accused settlers of waging a "campaign of terror and violence".