Settlers Arrested After Clashes with Palestinians in West Bank

Israeli police and military forces announced on Tuesday that several Israeli settlers had been arrested following violent clashes near the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem, during which Palestinians were injured, and property was damaged.

The Israeli military reported that it deployed troops after “masked Israeli civilians… attacked Palestinians and set fire to property in the area.”

“Security forces intervened to disperse the confrontation using riot control measures and apprehended several Israeli civilians,” the military statement said. Four Palestinians, who were injured in the altercation, were evacuated for medical treatment.

In a separate statement, Israel’s police confirmed that four suspects had been arrested “following the violent incident earlier today in the villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf” in the northern West Bank.

Hussein Hammadi, the mayor of Beit Lid, told AFP that approximately 200 Israeli settlers descended from the hills towards his village, splitting into two groups.

“One group attacked the Bedouin community located on a slope along the road, while the other headed towards a nearby hill where the Juneidi Dairy factory is situated,” Hammadi explained. Juneidi is one of the leading Palestinian dairy brands.

“The group attacking the Bedouin community burned vehicles, animal pens, and homes, and attempted to steal sheep before moving to another Bedouin encampment,” Hammadi continued. “Meanwhile, the group that reached the dairy factory set fire to five company trucks and ransacked the facility.”

Hammadi reported that 10 Palestinians were injured in the attack.

Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, over 500,000 Israeli settlers have lived in settlements across the Palestinian territory. A minority of these settlers are involved in violent acts against Palestinians, who often claim that Israeli authorities fail to hold settlers accountable.

Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are deemed illegal.

However, Hammadi expressed doubts that the police had arrested any settlers on Tuesday. “They would never have dared to carry out such actions if they were not protected by the army,” he said.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that October 2025 was the worst month for settler violence since it began monitoring such incidents in 2006. A total of 264 attacks were recorded, resulting in casualties or damage to property, yet very few of the perpetrators have been prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 1,002 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the war began.

In the same period, 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians in the West Bank, according to official Israeli figures.