Israel’s Netanyahu promises response to West Bank violence

The ever growing number of attacks carried out by Israelis in the occupied West Bank has prompted new commitments from Israel’s leadership to respond decisively.

On November 17th, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to urgently convene cabinet ministers, saying those responsible for the recent assaults on Palestinian communities would be brought to justice, as reported by Reuters citing the WAFA news agency.

The announcement came after a series of attacks on November 17th that has continued a trend of escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Officials reported that attackers entered the village of Jab’a near Bethlehem, setting fire to homes and vehicles.

The damage followed an earlier raid on property and civilians in the village of Sa’ir. Israeli forces confirmed that personnel had been deployed to Jab’a and that searches for the individuals involved were underway.

As pressure increases from international partners to curb the violence, Israeli officials have tried to signal a more assertive stance.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said the government was preparing to approve a major plan in the coming weeks, which is as a landmark allocation of resources aimed at curbing the violence.

Netanyahu addressed the incidents directly, stating: “I view with great severity the violent disturbances and the attempt to take the law into their own hands by a small, extremist group.”

An Israeli government spokesperson insisted that those involved represented only a minority of citizens. Reports on the ground suggest otherwise, with Israeli settler violence having also involved an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) escort.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers, escorted by Israeli forces, stormed the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris, according to Middle East Eye and agencies citing the Palestinian activist Ihab Hassan on March 14th.

This indicates the structural and institutional nature of Israeli settler violence. What’s more, Netanyahu signed the controversial E1 settlement plan, enabling a major expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli authorities have failed to protect Palestinians from settler attacks, with the government actively enabling the violence. In previous incidents, certain settlers were illegally issued weapons licences that were distributed by the National Security Ministry, headed by the minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

A report by Human Rights Watch published on April 17th 2024, indicated the complicity if the Israeli government in the escalating settler violence, stating that the Israeli military has taken part in the violence  and has not protected the Palestinians who were attacked.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented at least 264 settler attacks on Palestinians during October 2025, the highest number recorded since tracking by the United Nations began in 2006.

With 2.7 million Palestinians living alongside expanding Israeli settlements, now home to roughly half a million Israeli settlers, the West Bank remains central to the Palestinian right to self-determination, sovereignty and statehood.

Reuters, WAFA, Human Rights Watch, Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org