Israeli security leaders described settler attacks on Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank as "national terrorism" that necessitates increased countermeasures, comments that sparked anger among far-right ministers in the government. Last week, the escalation of violence in the West Bank included attacks by dozens of Israeli settlers on Palestinian towns and villages, which led to international condemnation and concern from the White House.
On Saturday, residents reported that settlers set fire to at least two homes in the Palestinian village of Um Safa near Ramallah. The Israeli army stated that it had arrested at least one suspect. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant condemned the attack.
In a joint statement, leaders from the army, police, and internal security agency in Israel declared that the actions of the settlers amounted to "national terrorism," committing to confront it. They stated that the army would reinforce its forces in the area to address this violence, while the internal security agency would enhance arrest operations, including "administrative detention," which means the ability to detain any suspect without charge. Israel widely employs this method against suspected Palestinians in security matters, drawing criticism from human rights organizations.
The statement elicited sharp criticism from two members of Netanyahu's right-wing government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated, "The attempt to equate deadly Arab terrorism with hostile civilian actions, no matter how serious, is unethical and dangerous." He called on security forces to intensify their efforts against Palestinian attacks while urging settlers to refrain from "taking the law into their own hands."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right figure, supported Smotrich’s remarks, having previously been condemned for supporting terrorism and inciting against Arabs. He criticized the police for what he described as "collective punishment" of Jewish settlers amid growing rifts between security agencies and the government over violence in the occupied West Bank. He asked police to clarify why they closed the gates of the Atarot settlement to inspect those entering and exiting, as well as the reason behind the "torture of a person who was standing nearby."
In a statement on Sunday, he informed the police chief that he "opposes any violation of the law" but does not accept "collective punishment" of settlers. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan expressed concerns over settler attacks on Palestinians in a call with his Israeli counterpart. This came just hours after Ben Gvir urged settlers to bolster their presence throughout the West Bank.
The settler attacks this week followed armed clashes in Jenin that resulted in the deaths of seven Palestinians, a shooting attack by two Palestinians that caused casualties near a settlement, and a rare Israeli airstrike in the West Bank against armed individuals.
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli police announced that a Palestinian gunman fired at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank, injuring a security guard. They added that security forces shot and killed the Palestinian at the scene of the attack. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed group affiliated with President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, claimed the deceased gunman was one of their own.
In 2014, U.S.-brokered peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza collapsed, with no signs of revival. Most countries regard the settlements Israel has built on land it occupied in the 1967 war as illegal, a stance that Israel rejects.
