Netanyahu condemns rioters in the West Bank as over 100 settlers attack IDF, set fire to buildings

More than 100 Jewish extremist settlers clashed with IDF soldiers and Border Police officers near the Palestinian village of Jalud in the West Bank in the early hours of Tuesday, in an attempt to block the return of a Palestinian family to its home. Rioters blocked roads, set tires on fire, and hurled rocks at security forces, while also setting fire to Palestinian-owned structures and vehicles, the IDF said.

The Tubasi family had fled their home in Jalud, near Nablus, in July following a sustained campaign of harassment and violence by local settlers. Israeli security forces had coordinated a nighttime escort to allow the family to safely return, but the convoy was met by a mob that blocked access roads and threw stones at troops.

Three Border Police officers sustained light injuries, and a security forces vehicle was damaged. Due to the violence, troops withdrew, leaving the mission to return the family incomplete, forcing the family to remain displaced.

The IDF used riot dispersal measures to break up the gathering and detained two suspects, who were transferred to the local district police for questioning. "The security establishment strongly condemns any harm to security personnel while carrying out their duties, as well as acts of vandalism and damage to property," the IDF said, adding that such incidents "divert attention, undermine stability, and hinder the security forces' defensive and counterterrorism activities."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the violence, releasing a statement which said, "I strongly condemn the violent riots that took place tonight in Samaria and the attacks on the security forces who arrived at the scene to maintain law and order."

Netanyahu went on to say, "This handful of rioters does not represent the law-abiding settler community in Judea and Samaria; they cause it immense harm and hinder our forces in the performance of their duties."

President Isaac Herzog condemned the attack in a statement, calling it "an extremely grave act that must be dealt with to the full extent of the law" and "a moral stain and an affront to the rule of law and to our most fundamental values as a people and a state." The president said arson, stone-throwing and the assault of security personnel "are strictly prohibited and can have no justification whatsoever."

Herzog said he backs the IDF, Israel Police, and security establishment, wished the injured officers a speedy recovery, and called on law enforcement to "act decisively against the lawbreakers and ensure they face the full force of the law."

The displacement of the Tubasi family reflects a broader pattern of Palestinian communities being forced from their homes in the West Bank due to settler harassment.