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| One Palestinian killed as Israeli settlers attack West Bank village | One Palestinian killed as Israeli settlers attack West Bank village |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Assault condemned by Israeli authorities, with Netanyahu’s office pledging trial for perpetrators | Assault condemned by Israeli authorities, with Netanyahu’s office pledging trial for perpetrators |
| Middle East crisis live – latest updates | Middle East crisis live – latest updates |
| Dozens of Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian village near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, killing at least one person, in the latest deadly incident of settler violence amid surging tensions in the Palestinian territory. | |
| The Palestinian health ministry said one man was killed and another critically wounded by Israeli settlers who opened fire during the Thursday night attack in the village of Jit, in the north of the West Bank, which is surrounded by Israeli settlements. | |
| Footage shared on social media showed buildings and vehicles on fire after the attacks. The Israeli rights group Yesh Din said on Friday four houses and six cars were torched. | Footage shared on social media showed buildings and vehicles on fire after the attacks. The Israeli rights group Yesh Din said on Friday four houses and six cars were torched. |
| Hassan, who lives in the village, told the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz: “There were about 100 settlers. They were masked, dressed in black, armed, and some had knives. It seemed planned. They didn’t look like children, they looked like adults. | |
| “When I went outside to see what was happening, they attacked me with teargas. They torched my car and smashed another one, and then they continued into the village, after attacking more cars nearby. The army arrived about an hour later, they took their time and let them do whatever they wanted.” | “When I went outside to see what was happening, they attacked me with teargas. They torched my car and smashed another one, and then they continued into the village, after attacking more cars nearby. The army arrived about an hour later, they took their time and let them do whatever they wanted.” |
| Palestinians regularly accuse Israeli security forces of standing by and allowing groups of settlers to attack their houses and villages in assaults that have attracted increasing concern internationally. | Palestinians regularly accuse Israeli security forces of standing by and allowing groups of settlers to attack their houses and villages in assaults that have attracted increasing concern internationally. |
| Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Israel-Gaza war started on 7 October, and the number of Israeli settlements there – which are considered illegal under international law – have hit new records. On Friday, a herding community in Ein al-Jamal, in the Jordan valley, abandoned their village after increasing settler attacks. | Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Israel-Gaza war started on 7 October, and the number of Israeli settlements there – which are considered illegal under international law – have hit new records. On Friday, a herding community in Ein al-Jamal, in the Jordan valley, abandoned their village after increasing settler attacks. |
| The Israeli military said police and army units intervened and arrested one Israeli for interfering with the police. It condemned the attack, which it said diverted security forces from other responsibilities. It said it was examining reports about the death of the Palestinian and an investigation had been opened. | |
| The office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement saying he viewed the attack with “utmost severity”. | The office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement saying he viewed the attack with “utmost severity”. |
| “Those responsible for any offence will be apprehended and tried,” it said. | “Those responsible for any offence will be apprehended and tried,” it said. |
| The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, condemned the attack as a “pogrom”. | The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, condemned the attack as a “pogrom”. |
| “I strongly condemn this evening’s pogrom in Samaria,” Herzog wrote on X, using the name of the biblical province corresponding to the northern West Bank. | “I strongly condemn this evening’s pogrom in Samaria,” Herzog wrote on X, using the name of the biblical province corresponding to the northern West Bank. |
| “This is an extreme minority that harms the law-abiding settler population and the settlement as a whole and the name and position of Israel in the world during a particularly sensitive and difficult period,” he added. | “This is an extreme minority that harms the law-abiding settler population and the settlement as a whole and the name and position of Israel in the world during a particularly sensitive and difficult period,” he added. |
| The White House said late on Thursday that attacks by settlers on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank were “unacceptable and must stop”. | The White House said late on Thursday that attacks by settlers on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank were “unacceptable and must stop”. |
| “Israeli authorities must take measures to protect all communities from harm. This includes intervening to stop such violence, and holding all perpetrators of such violence to account,” a White House spokesperson said. | “Israeli authorities must take measures to protect all communities from harm. This includes intervening to stop such violence, and holding all perpetrators of such violence to account,” a White House spokesperson said. |
| Netanyahu governs with the support of far-right parties that advocate more Israeli settlements in the West Bank and outright annexation. In a rare statement, the rightwing finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, wrote on X that the attackers in Jit had “nothing to do with the settlement and the settlers”. | |
| “They are criminals who must be dealt with by the law enforcement authorities with the full force of the law,” he said. | “They are criminals who must be dealt with by the law enforcement authorities with the full force of the law,” he said. |
| The far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said citizens should not take the law into their own hands. However, he also appeared to accuse the army of being responsible for the attack, saying: “The fact that soldiers are not given backing to shoot stone-throwing terrorists leads to incidents like this evening’s.” | The far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said citizens should not take the law into their own hands. However, he also appeared to accuse the army of being responsible for the attack, saying: “The fact that soldiers are not given backing to shoot stone-throwing terrorists leads to incidents like this evening’s.” |
| Yair Golan, the head of a new left-leaning alliance known as the Democrats, said Thursday’s violence “is not an extremist minority and a minor problem, but a violent group that enjoys enormous government support”. | Yair Golan, the head of a new left-leaning alliance known as the Democrats, said Thursday’s violence “is not an extremist minority and a minor problem, but a violent group that enjoys enormous government support”. |
| Netanyahu had brought “representatives of the rioters in Jit into the Knesset and appointed them as ministers”, he said. “Without a change of government, this violent public will continue to run Israel and lead it to oblivion.” | Netanyahu had brought “representatives of the rioters in Jit into the Knesset and appointed them as ministers”, he said. “Without a change of government, this violent public will continue to run Israel and lead it to oblivion.” |
| The US and a number of European countries have imposed sanctions on violent settlers and called repeatedly on Israel to do more to curb the attacks. | The US and a number of European countries have imposed sanctions on violent settlers and called repeatedly on Israel to do more to curb the attacks. |