More than 100 settlers attacked on Tuesday the village of Jaloud in the northern occupied West Bank, where they blocked roads, set fires, and clashed with Israeli security forces, resulting in injuries to three of their personnel, according to the Israeli army and Palestinian residents.
The army explained in a statement that security forces were in the village, located south of Nablus, to secure the return of a Palestinian family to two homes from which they had been displaced "following nationalistic (Israeli) crime incidents committed against them," affirming that the latest attack prevented the family's return.
It added that its forces operated in Jaloud to "disperse Israeli rioters" exceeding one hundred, adding, "As a result of the clashes, three members of the Israeli Border Police sustained minor injuries, and a security forces vehicle sustained damage."
It stated that settlers blocked roads, set fire to Palestinian buildings and vehicles in the village, burned tires, and hurled stones at its forces.
The Tubasi family was forced to evacuate its home more than two months ago due to attacks by settlers who seized the two houses, according to one of its members, Mahmoud Tubasi.
He said, "My wife, my son, and I headed to the house in the car" accompanied by two army vehicles... However, settlers attacked the family shortly after arriving at the house, prompting army personnel to spray pepper spray towards them, according to Tubasi and the army.
Both sides added that a second group of settlers soon arrived at the scene, where riots broke out.
Tubasi affirmed, "We did not suffer physical injuries, but we suffered some cases of asphyxiation due to the pepper spray."
The settlers' assault on Israeli security personnel drew rare criticism from officials in the Hebrew state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "strongly" condemned "the violent riots... and the attacks on security forces who arrived at the scene to maintain law and order."
He considered that the attackers "do not represent the law-abiding settler community."
Meanwhile, President Isaac Herzog opined that what the settlers did "can have absolutely no justification."
The Israeli police considered the attack on the personnel "serious" in a statement, confirming the arrest of one person and the detention of two minors for questioning, and the opening of an investigation into the incident.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has also witnessed an escalation in recent months, after perpetrators largely escaped legal prosecution for years.
At least 1,111 Palestinians, including a number of militants, have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since the outbreak of the Gaza war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Authority data.
In contrast, official Israeli data show that at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and military personnel, have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians or during clashes with Israeli forces.
The international community has repeatedly condemned settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, which the United Nations said averaged about six settler-related violence incidents against Palestinians or their property daily until mid-2026.
In early September, 12 countries, including France and Canada, banned Israeli settlement products due to recurring attacks, prompting Israel to revoke the diplomatic accreditation of British and Dutch diplomats in the West Bank.
