Video Shows Israeli Settlers Carrying Out Arson Attacks on Palestinian Property in Northern West Bank

Settler Arson in Northern West Bank Captured on Video

Nov. 12 (UPI) — Newly released video shows scores of Israeli settlers carrying out coordinated arson attacks on multiple Palestinian-owned properties in the occupied West Bank.

According to footage and local reports, the incidents occurred on Nov. 12 in the northern West Bank near the industrial zone by the village of Beit Lid. Attackers set fire to roughly 10 vehicles and damaged a warehouse, a plastics factory, farmland and structures in a nearby Bedouin village. Video from the scene shows tents burning, women screaming and masked individuals carrying clubs as vehicles and other property were torched.

Multiple Palestinians were reported injured by thrown stones and physical beatings. Israeli police said four suspects were arrested in connection with the attacks.

Responses and context

Palestinian Authority Minister Muayyad Shaaban, head of the PA's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, told the BBC the assaults appeared to be part of a campaign to create a "hostile environment through intimidation and terror." The United Nations' humanitarian office said the number of violent attacks by settlers over the past month reached its highest level in nearly 20 years.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the incidents the latest in a series of "shocking and serious" attacks and said they crossed a red line. "Such violence against civilians and against IDF soldiers crosses a red line and I condemn it severely," he said.

The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli police said troops were on site to "disperse the confrontation using riot dispersal means" and that soldiers and officers were attacked during the clashes. The IDF's Central Command commander, Major General Avi Bluth, described the perpetrators as an "anarchist fringe" whose actions were "unacceptable" and said the military would act firmly. "The directive to IDF soldiers is clear: do not stand idly by and do everything in your power to prevent any act of nationalist crime," Bluth reportedly instructed commanders.

Broader significance

More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank out of a total population there of about 4 million. The latest incidents add to growing international concern about settler violence and its impact on security and daily life in the occupied territories. Investigations and statements from both Palestinian and Israeli authorities are ongoing.

Note: Authorities from all sides have called for arrests and accountability; reporting continues as officials release further details.