Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Village, Block Family's Return Home

More than 100 Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Jalud, south of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on Monday night. During the raid, two homes belonging to the al-Tubasi family were set on fire, and the settlers prevented the family, who were being escorted by the Israeli military, from returning to their properties. These homes had been seized by settlers weeks earlier.

Mahmoud al-Tubasi, 60, his wife Aida, 51, and their 33-year-old son Wael had returned to their homes accompanied by Israeli forces, following a ruling by Israel's High Court earlier this month that they must be allowed to return. Al-Tubasi described the event as "extremely terrifying, beyond words," and stated, "I genuinely expected they were going to kill us."

The family had been forced to leave their homes earlier in the summer after weeks of settler harassment and attacks. Extremist settlers had established an illegal outpost near Jalud and besieged three houses, including two belonging to al-Tubasi's sons.

Al-Tubasi recounted that he was contacted around midnight and informed of a coordination with the Israeli military for his family's return. He received a message from Israeli officials stating that if he wished to reclaim his property, he had to go immediately with the army and Israeli border police.

Upon inspecting one of the homes by torchlight, the family discovered extensive damage. Videos shared with the BBC showed smashed doors, ripped-out electrical fittings, broken tiles, shattered windows, and refuse strewn throughout the house. The toilet was also damaged and appeared to contain human waste.

According to al-Tubasi, a large group of extremist settlers arrived in Jalud after alerts were circulated in WhatsApp groups used to coordinate their actions, indicating that the Palestinian family they had previously driven out was returning and should be stopped. "As soon as we entered the house, which had already been completely destroyed, settlers started throwing stones at us," al-Tubasi said. "The army responded by firing tear gas at them, but there were so many settlers, more than 150, that the army could no longer control them."

Al-Tubasi stated that a group of Israeli soldiers protected his family from the settlers, using pepper spray to keep them at bay. The settlers then slashed the tires of a military van and the family was transferred to an armored military vehicle. As the family was being driven away, the settlers set fire to their car and both houses, with smoke seen billowing from them in videos filmed from a distance.

"The Israeli security forces essentially formed a barrier, took us out safely and got us away from there. But they did not take any action against the settlers themselves," al-Tubasi added.

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement confirmed that "more than 100 Israeli rioters were present in the village, blocking roads, setting tyres on fire, and throwing stones at security forces." The IDF reported that three police officers sustained minor injuries and a security forces vehicle was damaged. The military described the al-Tubasi family as victims of "nationalist crime" and stated that "due to the violence, the mission to return the family to their home was not completed."

The head of the local council in Jalud reported that villagers confronted the settlers, leading to clashes that extended to a nearby village where a Palestinian woman was assaulted and her house set ablaze.

This incident occurred about a month after Aida al-Tubasi was attacked by masked Israeli settlers, along with American journalists who were interviewing her in Jalud.

The High Court's ruling, which criticized Israeli authorities for their insufficient action against settler violence, had mandated the family's safe return by September 20, over a week prior to the events. The court's decision strongly condemned settler actions as "a completely unacceptable phenomenon that stands in contrast to the basic values and moral principles of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement strongly condemning the attacks on security forces and calling for the "rioters" to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Israeli police announced the arrest of three individuals suspected of involvement.

However, speaking at the UN General Assembly the previous week, Netanyahu had dismissed international concerns about settler violence, accusing the media of focusing on "a handful of juvenile delinquents" while ignoring attacks on Israelis. He characterized the perpetrators as around 150 individuals who throw stones, chop down olive trees, and occasionally start fires.

Data from the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din indicates that fewer than three percent of police investigations into settler violence over the past two decades have resulted in convictions. Ziv Stahl, the organization's executive director, attributes this to a "systematic government policy aimed at pushing Palestinians out of the area and expanding Israeli control over land in the West Bank."

Netanyahu's government has facilitated the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, asserting biblical and legal claims to the land. Some ministers have expressed an intention to thwart the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the territory. Settlements and outposts are considered illegal under international law.

According to the United Nations, the level of settler violence has reached an unprecedented high this year. Since 2023, over 6,500 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler attacks and access restrictions in the occupied West Bank. The UN's Humanitarian Office (OCHA) has recorded 6,199 attacks by Israeli settlers resulting in casualties or damage during the same period. OCHA reports that at least 82 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank this year, alongside four Israelis killed. At least 23 Palestinians were killed in the context of settler attacks.