Settlers Attack Palestinian Villages Near Nablus as Officials Condemn Violence
Masked settlers attacked Palestinian villages near Nablus and Ramallah, prompting severe condemnation from Israeli leaders and renewed scrutiny over law enforcement in Judea and Samaria.
A group of at least 20 masked settlers armed with clubs attacked the Palestinian village of Urif, southeast of Nablus, on Saturday morning. According to Palestinian reports, one person sustained a head injury, while footage captured the assailants roaming the streets, striking vehicles, and intimidating local residents. Simultaneously, settlers were documented throwing stones at a residential building in the nearby village of Beita. Both incidents occurred in the Jabal Qamas agricultural area situated between the two villages, close to the Evyatar outpost.
These events follow a major riot on Tuesday, when over 100 rioters entered the village of Jalud near Nablus. The mob prevented the IDF from escorting a Palestinian family back to their home, which they had been forced to abandon following previous nationalist violence. Rioters blocked roads, burned structures and vehicles, and hurled stones at security forces, injuring three Border Police officers and damaging a security vehicle. Police subsequently arrested three suspects aged 15, 17, and 18, seizing two vehicles. In the car of the 18-year-old Jerusalem resident, officers found a club and face masks.
Official Responses and Condemnations
Around midnight, the displaced Tubasi family finally managed to re-enter their home. Sixty-year-old Mohammad and his 51-year-old wife Aida found extensive damage inside, including shattered windows, vandalized walls, and a disconnected electrical panel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the violent incidents, stating that "a handful of rioters does not represent the law-abiding settler public in Judea and Samaria, causes it immense harm, and hinders our forces in fulfilling their mission." Netanyahu voiced his support for the IDF and Border Police while calling on law enforcement authorities to strictly prosecute the perpetrators.
"A campaign of terror and violence, including stone-throwing, arson, and assaults, is immoral, un-Jewish, and undermines the security of all residents as well as the work of the security establishment," declared Yashar! party leader Gadi Eisenkot, condemning the riots as a sign of anarchy and loss of control under the current government.
Expanding Wave of Incidents and Legal Scrutiny
On the same day, Palestinian residents reported that dozens of settlers attacked and torched the home of Musa Abu Alia in Al-Mughayyir, north of Ramallah. Musa is the father of 18-year-old Hamdan Abu Alia, who was killed by IDF gunfire in August of last year. Additional vehicles were also set ablaze. A day prior, the Judea and Samaria District Police opened investigations into settler attacks in the Ramallah area, including an arson attack and house assault in Deir Abu Mishaal, and a tractor arson accompanied by racist graffiti reading "Revenge" and "Happy holiday from the happy Jews" in Ras Karkar. Last week, three perpetrators also set fire to a vehicle in the southern Hebron Hills village of Al-Ribei, while similar arson and graffiti incidents were reported in Atara near Ramallah.
The surge in nationalist violence has drawn sharp criticism from the High Court of Justice. During a recent hearing regarding the takeover of Palestinian homes in Qusra, Supreme Court justices questioned the effectiveness of law enforcement in Judea and Samaria. Justice Khaled Kabub noted that 95 percent of complaints are closed without indictments, while Justice Ofer Grosskopf questioned police inaction regarding repeat offenders found at sealed locations.
