Israeli Settlers Block Palestinian Family Return and Clash With Troops in West Bank Village

What Happened

More than one hundred Israeli settlers attacked the village of Jalud in the occupied West Bank to stop a Palestinian family from returning to their homes. Mahmoud Tubasi, 60, his wife Aedah, 51, and their son Wael had been staying elsewhere in the village after settlers seized their two houses weeks ago. The family returned late on Monday night after Israel's High Court ruled they must be allowed back, escorted by the Israeli military and border police who arranged the trip by midnight. Around ten minutes after the family reached the properties, over 150 settlers arrived after coordinating through WhatsApp groups. The attackers set the houses on fire, blocked access roads, and hurled rocks at security forces. Three Israeli officers were injured, and soldiers fired tear gas and used pepper spray to push back the mob. Troops made the Palestinians go up to the roof when settlers broke in, and later evacuated them in an armoured military vehicle after settlers slashed the tyres of a military van.

Impact and Reactions

The homes were damaged beyond description, with doors, windows, tiles, stairs, and bathrooms smashed, and walls stained with tar and burnt tyres. Mahmoud Tubasi told the BBC that he genuinely expected the attackers were going to kill them and that he was happy to have escaped death. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the violence and called on law enforcement to prosecute the perpetrators. Meanwhile, human rights groups state that Israeli authorities are failing to take effective action and that settler perpetrators are rarely punished. Elsewhere in the West Bank on Tuesday, settlers set fire to cars in Al Mughayyir and spraypainted revenge on an apartment building. The Israeli military arrested two settlers and launched an investigation into the Jalud incident.

Context

Settler violence and land seizures in the occupied West Bank have drawn international condemnation amid an ongoing rise in tensions. Human rights organizations frequently highlight that extremist groups expand outposts in the Palestinian territory while facing limited enforcement from authorities.