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Settler attacks in the West Bank raise fears of loss of control
Seven Palestinians were injured in settler attacks carried out on Saturday in the towns of Qusra and Jalud in Nablus Governorate. Three Palestinian homes in Qusra have remained under siege for 21 days, while 2,256 attacks against Palestinians and their property were recorded in July.
As settler attacks against Palestinians continue in the occupied West Bank, warnings are growing within the Israeli army that control of the area could be lost. The situation is also deepening tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the army.
Concerns are growing within Israel's security establishment that the situation in the West Bank could spiral out of control. Some political circles face accusations of seeking to fuel a broader conflict in the area to secure electoral gains. Knesset elections are scheduled to be held on October 27, while opinion polls show Netanyahu and his Likud party losing ground.
Seven Palestinians injured in Qusra and Jalud
Dozens of masked Israeli settlers arrived in small pickup trucks in the towns of Qusra and Jalud in Nablus Governorate on Saturday. Tear gas was used and stones were thrown during an attack on a Palestinian home in the Ras al-Ayn area of Qusra. Seven Palestinians were injured after being affected by the gas or beaten.
After the attack, the Israeli army sent troops back to the area to remove Jewish attackers who had taken refuge in a Palestinian home. The settlers moved under army protection during the attack, and no settler was detained at the scene.
In Qusra, which the Israeli army has declared a closed military zone, settlers have kept three Palestinian homes under siege for 21 days.
Army warns that conflict could flare up
A senior Israeli army official, drawing attention to the settlers' activities, said control of the area was on the verge of being lost. The official said everyone was acting as they pleased and that the conflict could flare up at any moment.
The same official said such a development could undermine Israel's gains on other fronts. Some senior army officials have also said they would not take part in steps that were not necessitated by conditions on the ground.
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has made public his concerns about a security deadlock that could result from political calculations. While the West Bank has become the main arena of tension between the Israeli government and the army, settler attacks against Palestinians are drawing international condemnation.
Statements from Netanyahu, Herzog and Lapid
U.S. Ambassador to Jerusalem Mike Huckabee said he considered the statements by the prime minister and the army following the mass attack in Qusra important. Huckabee said decisive steps were needed to support those statements.
In a statement on Saturday, Netanyahu described the attacks as "criminal acts of violence committed by a handful of rioters." Netanyahu did not address the injuries to Palestinians or assessments that the army had protected the settlers; he said the attacks obstructed the army's work and harmed Israel's international standing.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the attack as "crossing a red line" and a stain on Israel's reputation, and called on officials to take action. Opposition leader Yair Lapid described the attackers as a moral stain on the State of Israel and called the government's failure to intervene a national disgrace.
2,256 attacks recorded in July
The Palestinian Commission Against the Wall and Settlements said Israeli forces and settlers carried out a total of 2,256 attacks against Palestinians, their land and property in July. Israeli forces carried out 1,458 of the attacks, while settlers were responsible for 798.
As Israeli army raids and arrests continue in the cities, towns and refugee camps of the West Bank, settler attacks against Palestinians and their property are also increasing.
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