More than 100 settlers attack Palestinian family’s home in West Bank, fire set

A Palestinian family that had been forced out of its house in Jalud two months earlier returned overnight, only to be attacked by a large group of Israeli settlers. Video taken by the family’s son showed the interior in disarray, with smashed doors, appliances and jagged holes in the walls. Shortly after the family arrived, more than 100 settlers stormed the property, assaulted the residents and police officers inside, and set fire to the house and the family’s car. The blaze left the structure gutted and blackened.

The Israeli military said soldiers and police worked to disperse the rioters and protect local residents. Two suspects were arrested after the crowd blocked roads, set tires on fire and threw rocks at security forces. Three border police officers sustained light injuries and a police vehicle was damaged.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the United States is aware of the incident, condemns criminal violence in the West Bank and supports investigations and legal accountability. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attackers as a “handful of rioters” and condemned the “violent riots,” while noting that the rioters do not represent the law-abiding settler community. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot attributed the surge in settler attacks to the current government’s policies, calling it “anarchy and loss of control.”

Peace Now, an Israeli settlement watchdog, criticized the government’s approach to illegal outposts, describing the settlers as a “large and organized” militia backed by state funding.