Tension has been escalating in the West Bank. Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the West Bank early Sunday, setting fire to two mosques and spray-painting graffiti on buildings, Palestinian officials said.
The attacks followed an incident on Friday in which four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers — one of them a security coordinator for a nearby Israeli settlement — were killed when a crowd of Israeli settlers, some armed, approached the Palestinian village of Tell, southwest of Nablus
According to Reuters, villagers left their homes to confront the settlers, leading to a tense altercation; a video showed a Palestinian snatching a weapon from a settler. Local Palestinian authorities claim the settlers provoked the violence. The Israeli army stated that shots were fired by both sides.
“What many Israelis don’t know is that these settlements, also called ‘farms,’ are fundamental to understanding the situation. The current government, especially since October 7 and taking advantage of the regional war that followed, has been systematically working to transform the reality in the West Bank. To date, 80 settlements and 126 farms have been established, and 104 larger settlements have been approved, some of which are already built,” wrote the newspaper Haaretz.
This incident is the latest in a growing series of settler clashes in which dozens of Palestinians have been killed this year and hundreds injured, according to UN and Palestinian Authority figures.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections in October, ordered a major security operation against what he described as terrorism against Israeli civilians, reinforcing units in the West Bank and canceling permits.
The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it plans to conduct a large-scale military exercise. The maneuvers will take place in the Negev desert, according to a statement. “As part of the exercise, there will be a significant deployment of security forces, vehicles, and aircraft, and gunfire and explosions will be heard in the area. The exercise was planned in advance, as part of the 2026 training program; there is no cause for concern regarding a possible security incident.”
Members of the Netanyahu government, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have called for the annexation of the West Bank, territory that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
“Until a few months ago, Palestinian attacks had slightly decreased, despite an increase in violence by Jews. Some argued that West Bank roads had become safer for Israelis simply because settlers, with substantial support from the Israeli army, had intimidated Palestinians into submission,” wrote the newspaper Haaretz.
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“But, for months now, it has been evident that the territory is heading towards disaster. While it is advisable to make predictions with caution, it is important to remember how the two intifadas began: in 1987 and again in 2000. On this occasion, there is also a clear political interest from the Israeli far-right in provoking an explosion,” he added.
The resurgence of the conflict has led the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to significantly reinforce their presence in the West Bank with troops from Gaza and Lebanon. Earlier this week, the Israeli army approved the deployment of two additional regular battalions. It now has 24 battalions stationed in the West Bank, including 10 reserve battalions, and this number could increase further.
This comes, Haaretz indicated, at a time when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are facing a severe personnel shortage, reserve units are under enormous pressure, and attendance at many reserve battalions continues to decline. At the same time, right-wing Israeli activists have been organizing unauthorized “visits” to territories occupied by the IDF in southern Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, claiming they intend to establish new settlements there and forcing the army to divert resources to prevent it.
“As part of the new offensive in the West Bank, Israeli troops will enter Palestinian towns and villages, causing widespread destruction, while the government will once again proclaim significant victories in its war on terror. At the same time, this escalation is likely to be used to justify the establishment of new settlements and farms,” the newspaper Haaretz indicated.
“But these developments do not occur in isolation. Faced with intensifying settler attacks, around 70 Palestinian villages have created local civil defense committees. For now, these groups do not use firearms. However, as tensions rise, so does the risk that members of Tanzim, Fatah’s grassroots armed wing, will become directly involved in the fighting,” he added.
The West Bank is going through its most dangerous moment in years. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers carried out more than 1,800 attacks against Palestinians last last year, causing casualties or property damage.
In the first four months of this year, another 761 settler attacks have been recorded. In a report published this month, the agency indicated that 1,663 Palestinians were displaced by last year’s attacks and another 1,988 were displaced by settler violence in the first four months of 2026.
