Fears of West Bank settler escalation
Israeli settlers attack the Palestinian villages of Al-Funduk and Jinsafut
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Israeli settlers attack the Palestinian villages of Al-Funduk and Jinsafut
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Palestinian officials on Tuesday lambasted US President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, following a spate of recent attacks.
Among the flurry of executive orders signed by Trump on his first day in office was one lifting sanctions imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden on settlers accused of violence in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
“Lifting sanctions on extremist settlers encourages them to commit more crimes against our people,” the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Even before the decision had been made public, Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Al-Funduk and Jinsafut in the north of the West Bank on Monday night.
The ministry said in a statement that “around 50 masked terrorist settlers” set fire to homes and shops, destroyed vehicles and “terrorized unarmed civilians.”
At least 21 people were wounded in attacks that took place “under the supervision and protection of the Israeli army and political leadership,” the ministry said.
The Israeli military confirmed the incidents had taken place, saying it had “dispersed riots” in the vicinity of Al-Funduk and that Israeli civilians had “thrown stones and attacked the security forces.”
“The Israeli military will not permit this,” said the commanding officer of the central military region responsible for the area, Major General Avi Bluth.
United Nations security alerts on Monday indicated that at least 11 incidents involving settlers occurred throughout the West Bank since a ceasefire began in Gaza on Sunday.
During these incidents, settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles, harassed herders in rural areas, and beat or shot towards Palestinians.
Around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, as well as around 490,000 Israelis in settlements considered illegal under international law.
The Palestinian foreign ministry criticized a decision by Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz last week to release settlers held in administrative detention, warning “against attempts to escalate the situation in the West Bank” with the aim of facilitating its annexation by Israel.
It also denounced what it said was a proliferation of Israeli checkpoints and tightened restrictions on Palestinians, which it said had “fragmented the West Bank.”
It noted that there were now nearly 900 barriers in the territory, including 16 installed in recent days.
Far-right groups in Israel, meanwhile, have rejoiced at Trump’s decree.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, thanked Trump in a social media post for his “unwavering and uncompromising support for the State of Israel.”
The sanctions were originally put in place by Biden, in an attempt to quell spiralling attacks in the occupied territory.
The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since the conflict sparked by Hamas’s surprise 7 October 2023, attack on Israel.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 847 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to the health ministry.
At least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.
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