Israeli President Isaac Herzog has condemned a recent wave of violence in the occupied West Bank, calling it “shocking and serious.” According to The Washington Post, Herzog said the attacks against Palestinians by Jewish settlers crossed a red line.
Herzog’s comments followed a series of incidents, including arson at a mosque in Deir Istiya and fires targeting homes and cars in the village of Jab’a.
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United Nations data shows a record 260 settler attacks in October, the most in a single month since 2006. A separate U.N. report notes that since 2023, violence and restrictions have displaced more than 3,200 Palestinians.
Rights groups and analysts say the trend risks deepening rifts between hardline settler activists and Israel’s security establishment.
West Bank attacks
In Jab’a, two geolocated videos show masked men entering a home and multiple vehicles and a building on fire. Village officials told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that three inhabited homes and three vehicles were torched, CNN reported.
After Israeli forces demolished unauthorized structures at the Tzur Misgavi outpost near the settlement of Metzad earlier Monday, the Israel Defense Forces said “dozens of Israeli civilians set fire and vandalized homes and vehicles” in Jab’a and that security forces were searching for those involved, CNN reported.
In Deir Istiya, arson and vandalism at the Haja Hamida mosque left scorch marks and graffiti addressing the army’s central command chief, Avi Bluth. “We’re not afraid of you, Avi Bluth,” the graffiti said, the BBC reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned violence by what he called “a small, extremist group that does not represent the settlers.” Defense Minister Israel Katz said authorities “will not tolerate” attempts by “anarchist lawbreakers” to harm IDF soldiers, according to CNN.
The IDF said such incidents “divert the attention of commanders and soldiers from their primary mission of defense and counterterrorism,” the Post reported. Current and former security officials quoted by the Post argued that government policies have encouraged or failed to curb settler violence.
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One in every five Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in 2025 was a child, according to the United Nations.
What’s next
The IDF said it is conducting searches tied to the Jab’a arson and has opened investigations in recent cases.
Some arrests have been reported, although some of those settlers were later released, according to the BBC and the Post.
Military leaders have pledged to “act decisively” against violent settler activity, but whether those steps reduce incidents remains unclear, the BBC reported.
