Israel's president has condemned an attack by settlers on two West Bank villages, describing it as "shocking" and "serious". The violence, which saw dozens of masked Israeli settlers target Palestinian communities in Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf, resulted in the injury of four Palestinians and damage to property.
The attack comes amid a surge in settler violence in the region since the war in Gaza began two years ago. According to the UN, 260 attacks took place in October - the deadliest month for settler violence since it started tracking incidents in 2006.
Israeli human rights groups have long warned that settler violence is taking place in a "permissive environment" with the backing of key Israeli ministers. The UN has described settlers as seeking to "accelerate displacement of Palestinians from their land", raising concerns over the forced transfer of civilians.
The president's statement was unusual, as it comes after two years of largely ignoring settler violence against Palestinians. However, his remarks were echoed by Major General Avi Bluth, who called the violence "unacceptable".
Bluth's comments were met with skepticism from the Israeli military, which claimed to be investigating the matter.
Settler violence has become increasingly mainstream in Israel's politics, particularly over the past two years. The Israeli Knesset often hosts settlers to weigh in on policymaking, and police and armed forces are regularly filmed standing by as settlers carry out acts of violence against Palestinians.
In July, a settler was caught on video killing a Palestinian activist, and human rights groups have accused the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to such attacks. The current far-right makeup of the Israeli government, including the finance minister and national security minister, has been criticized for exacerbating the situation.
The attack comes amid a surge in settler violence in the region since the war in Gaza began two years ago. According to the UN, 260 attacks took place in October - the deadliest month for settler violence since it started tracking incidents in 2006.
Israeli human rights groups have long warned that settler violence is taking place in a "permissive environment" with the backing of key Israeli ministers. The UN has described settlers as seeking to "accelerate displacement of Palestinians from their land", raising concerns over the forced transfer of civilians.
The president's statement was unusual, as it comes after two years of largely ignoring settler violence against Palestinians. However, his remarks were echoed by Major General Avi Bluth, who called the violence "unacceptable".
Bluth's comments were met with skepticism from the Israeli military, which claimed to be investigating the matter.
Settler violence has become increasingly mainstream in Israel's politics, particularly over the past two years. The Israeli Knesset often hosts settlers to weigh in on policymaking, and police and armed forces are regularly filmed standing by as settlers carry out acts of violence against Palestinians.
In July, a settler was caught on video killing a Palestinian activist, and human rights groups have accused the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to such attacks. The current far-right makeup of the Israeli government, including the finance minister and national security minister, has been criticized for exacerbating the situation.
[Distracted boyfriend meme with a Palestinian and an Israeli settler]
When will Israel learn that SETTLER VIOLENCE IS NOT OKAY?! 
260 attacks in October? That's a lot of problems! 
"Permissive environment" indeed. Maybe it's time for some Israeli ministers to put their feet down 
and major gen bluth saying it's unacceptable is like, yesssssss 
but have u seen how the military is handling this? 
and don't even get me started on the far-right gov 
it's like they're trying to make things WORSE 
the UN is saying it's a "permissive environment" for settler violence and i'm over here like "DUH 
" anyone who doesn't see this as a HUGE problem needs to get with the times 
. Meanwhile, Palestinians are just trying to live their lives and they get attacked left and right. It's not fair at all 
.
. If this keeps up, it's only a matter of time before things escalate into full-blown war 
... what's going on with Israel? It's like they're creating a nightmare for Palestinians over there. The fact that settlers are getting away with all this violence is just not right. I mean, 260 attacks in October alone? That's crazy! And the government's response has been basically non-existent until now. President's statement was a good start, but we need to see some real action being taken. It's like they're giving these settlers a free pass to do whatever they want and then just shrug it off 
this is getting out of hand 
. when are we gonna hold our leaders accountable for this stuff? 
. Seriously though, I've been following this stuff since I was a kid watching documentaries with my grandma (RIP) and I gotta say, settler violence has always been a thing but it seems like it's getting worse. I mean, 260 attacks in October? That's crazy! 
. It's all a bit suspicious, you know? And have you seen those videos of settlers just roaming around like they own the place? It's like they're trying to send a message or something... 
. I just wish someone would do something about it...
i mean what's next? are they gonna start attacking palestinians on tv or something? 
the fact that israeli presidents gotta come out and condemn these attacks just to show they care is kinda sad, you know? 
and the UN is right on it too, it's not just settlers, the whole gov is enabling this stuff 
. And now the president is finally speaking out, but only after dozens of Palestinians got hurt and property was damaged 
. The fact that this is happening in a country that prides itself on being democratic is just wild 
. And the Israeli military is always quick to downplay it or say it's "unacceptable" 
They're always getting away with this stuff and the government is just enabling them 
And what's with these settler events in the Knesset? It's like they're trying to legitimize these violent extremists 
The UN is right on point about this - we can't just sit back and watch Palestinians be displaced from their land. 
It's time for Israel to take responsibility for its own people's actions and start prioritizing human rights over settler ideology 
. And let's be real, the Israeli military is totally in on it too - I mean, who needs an investigation when there are bigger fish to fry? 
It's time to take down those settlers and hold them accountable for their actions! 
.
.
this is getting so old... settlers just keep on attacking Palestinians and no one does anything about it