Netanyahu condemns settler attacks as West Bank violence exposes annexation drive
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Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank over the weekend, injuring dozens and torching properties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence in Qusra and Jalud, blaming a 'handful of rioters' and demanding arrests. The condemnations come as Israeli forces and police made no arrests and as experts say the government is actively engineering annexation.
Key Facts
- Dozens of settlers attacked a Palestinian home in Qusra, south of Nablus, with tear gas and stones, injuring seven people.
- A Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance attempting to reach besieged families in Qusra was also attacked.
- Israeli forces fired tear gas during incursions into the Far'a refugee camp, el-Bireh, and al-Mughayyir.
- The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the escalation, particularly the 20-day siege on al-Mughayyir, describing it as a systematic policy of forced displacement and colonial expansion.
- Israeli police's West Bank district, under the command of Moshe Pinchi, made zero arrests despite Netanyahu's demand to arrest the rioters.
The Weekend Attacks
A wave of coordinated Israeli settler attacks swept across the occupied West Bank over the weekend, leaving dozens of Palestinians injured and properties torched. In the village of Qusra, south of Nablus, dozens of settlers attacked a Palestinian home with tear gas and stones, injuring seven people. A Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance that attempted to reach the besieged families was also attacked. Simultaneously, Israeli forces fired tear gas during incursions into the Far'a refugee camp, el-Bireh, and al-Mughayyir. Soldiers also attacked journalists in Hebron's Old City, and a Palestinian family and an American NBC news crew were assaulted in the village of Jalud.
Official Condemnations
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement strongly condemning the 'criminal acts of violence' in Qusra and Jalud, blaming it on a 'handful of rioters' who violated the law, interfered with the military, and harmed Israel's standing in the world. He publicly stated that he expected law enforcement authorities to 'arrest the rioters and bring them to justice'. President Isaac Herzog echoed the sentiment, calling the events a 'red line'. Former US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee praised Herzog's statement and claimed that the half-million Israelis living in the West Bank are 'most disgusted by a small group of thugs'. Opposition leader Yair Lapid described another weekend of violent rampages as a 'moral stain' and said the government's failure to tackle Israeli violence in the West Bank is a 'national disgrace'.
Annexation Context
Despite Netanyahu's stated demands, the Israeli police's West Bank district, under the command of Moshe Pinchi, made zero arrests. Documented footage captured masked settlers storming the villages of Qusra and Jalud in open pickup trucks, according to Israeli media reports. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the escalation, particularly the 20-day siege on al-Mughayyir, describing it as a systematic policy of forced displacement and colonial expansion. Experts told Al Jazeera that this chorus of condemnation from the Israeli establishment represents a calculated political manoeuvre by the government, which is actively engineering the annexation of the West Bank.
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Netanyahu condemns settler attacks as West Bank violence exposes annexation drive
