Over 100 Israeli settlers burn Palestinian homes, clash with troops in West Bank

Jalud village in the West Bank witnessed a violent confrontation involving over 100 Israeli settlers and Israeli troops on Monday night. The settlers targeted a Palestinian family, the Tubasi family, who had been temporarily residing in the village north of Ramallah. The family had returned to their homes, which had been seized by settlers weeks prior amid escalating settler violence and land seizures.

Upon the family's return, the settlers set their homes ablaze, blocked roads leading to the village, and attacked Israeli troops. Three Israeli soldiers were injured during the clashes. Israeli military authorities were unable to complete the mission of returning the family to their homes due to the violence.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the violence and called for law enforcement to prosecute the perpetrators. Despite this, Israeli and Palestinian rights groups noted that settlers are rarely held accountable for their violent actions. Wael Tubasi, one of the affected homeowners, described the damage inflicted on his family's property as "beyond description."

Upon visiting the scene on Tuesday, Reuters journalists observed the extent of the destruction, with walls blackened from tar and residue from the settlers' burning tyres. The Tubasi family was absent at the time of the visit. The military reported the arrest of two settlers and initiated an investigation into the incident. Elsewhere in the West Bank, additional settler violence was reported, including the burning of cars and spray-painting of the word "revenge" on a building. A local village resident expressed his community's patience in the face of such settler aggression.