Israel’s President Herzog condemns settler attacks on Palestinians in West Bank
In a rare statement on X on Wednesday, Herzog denounced the incident, criticising violence targeting both civilians and Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers.
Israel's President Isaac Herzog has condemned a Tuesday attack by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to the escalating violence.
The incident saw dozens of masked Israeli settlers attack the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf in the West Bank, torching vehicles and property before confronting Israeli soldiers who attempted to contain the situation.
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In a rare statement on X on Wednesday, Herzog denounced the incident, criticising violence targeting both civilians and Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers.
"The harsh events that took place this evening in Shomron by a handful of violent and dangerous individuals are shocking and serious. Such violence against civilians and against IDF soldiers crosses a red line and I condemn it severely," Herzog said.
"All state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon and to strengthen the IDF fighters and security forces who protect us day and night."
According to the IDF, four Palestinian settlers were injured during the Tuesday altercation.
"Security forces operated to disperse the confrontation using riot dispersal means and apprehended several Israeli civilians," the IDF said in a statement.
Video footage of the incident, obtained by CNN, captures the chaos as smoke rises over the villages and residents rush to stop the fires. Women can be heard shouting while men can be seen carrying buckets of water to douse the flames.
Additional reports indicate that after leaving the scene, the masked attackers gathered near the Baron Industrial Zone, where the IDF said some civilians clashed with soldiers, damaging a military vehicle. Four of the masked attackers were subsequently arrested by Israeli police.
"Police investigators, together with security forces, are currently collecting evidence at the scene, including documentation, witness statements and forensic findings," said the Israeli police.
The latest incident is part of a wave of settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, occurring almost daily since mid-October.
According to a United Nations report released in the same month, Israeli settlers carried out at least 264 attacks in October, the highest number recorded since the agency began tracking such incidents in 2006. The violence has particularly disrupted olive harvesting in the region.
"Nearly half (48 per cent) of all olive-harvest-related settler incidents this month occurred in the central West Bank, with Ramallah governorate alone accounting for 40 per cent of all cases," the OCHA report reads.
"Another 38 per cent took place in the northern West Bank, mainly in Nablus governorate (17 per cent), while about 14 per cent were recorded in the southern governorates of Bethlehem and Hebron."
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