More than 100 Israeli settlers attacked the West Bank village of Jalud while Israeli forces escorted a displaced Palestinian family back to their home, lightly injuring three Border Police officers and blocking the family's return. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog issued rare public condemnations. The raid came amid wider settler violence and rising tensions in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
More Than 100 Settlers Attack Jalud, Injuring Israeli Officers; Rare Government Rebuke
Graffiti reading "no future" in Arabic is depicted on a concrete block at the closed vehicle barrier of the Ein Sinya checkpoint at the northern entrance of Ramallah (Zain JAAFAR)
More than 100 Israeli settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Jalud in the occupied West Bank early Tuesday while Israeli forces were escorting a displaced Palestinian family back to their home, injuring three Israel Border Police officers and preventing the family's return, military and eyewitnesses said.
Raid and Immediate Aftermath
The Israeli military said "more than 100 Israeli rioters" gathered around Jalud overnight. Soldiers and border police moved in to disperse the crowd; clashes left three border police officers lightly injured and damaged a security forces vehicle. Police said one person was arrested and two minors were taken in for questioning.
The military reported that settlers blocked roads, set tyres on fire, hurled rocks and set fire to Palestinian buildings and vehicles in the village. Those actions, it said, prevented the family from returning to a home they had abandoned after earlier settler incidents.
Official Responses
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, blaming it on "a small group of rioters" whose actions "cause great harm to that community and interfere with our forces as they carry out their mission." President Isaac Herzog called the violence "a moral stain, an assault on the rule of law and our most fundamental values as a people and a nation." Such public criticism of settler violence against Palestinians is uncommon.
Other Incidents Around Ramallah
Separately on Tuesday, dozens of settlers from hilltop outposts raided the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah; an AFP journalist saw at least five burnt-out cars there. In Beitunia, near Ramallah, dozens of settlers held a Sukkot prayer aloud using loudspeakers, a move Mayor Ribhi Dawla described as a "dangerous precedent" amid what he said were expansion ambitions in the area.
Later the same day the Palestinian Red Crescent reported its teams were treating three people who had been assaulted and beaten by settlers in the Jamala area and transporting them to hospital.
Wider Context
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967; roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers now live among about three million Palestinians. The United Nations has reported that settler attacks on Palestinians—including beatings, vandalism and arson—averaged about six incidents a day in the first half of this year.
Violence in the West Bank has increased since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. An AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data reports at least 1,111 Palestinians—both militants and civilians—have been killed in that period. Israeli figures show at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli operations over the same timeframe.
Diplomatic Fallout
Recent weeks have seen international scrutiny of settler violence and settlement activity. Britain, the Netherlands and other countries have applied sanctions or restrictions on products from West Bank settlements, actions that Israel has reacted to angrily. The incidents underline persistent tensions over settlements, security-force responses and the protection of civilians in occupied territory.
Note: All figures in this report reflect statements from the Israeli military, local officials, the United Nations, AFP tallies and Palestinian health ministry data cited in the original reporting.
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