More Than 100 Settlers Overwhelm Israeli Escort, Attack Family Returning to Jalud Homes

The houses had stairs torn out and a bathtub smashed before they were set on fire. Wael Tubasi, describing the damage to his family's homes in the West Bank village of Jalud, said they "were damaged beyond description."

The Tubasi family had been driven from those homes this summer after a weeks-long siege by settler militants. Last week they won a high court ruling ordering the Israeli state to evict the settlers occupying the property and secure the family's return. Late Monday, the military told them an escort of roughly 15 military police officers would bring them home immediately, according to Haaretz.

It did not hold. Early Tuesday, more than 100 militant settlers overwhelmed the escort within minutes of its arrival. Three Israeli security officials were injured. The homes were burned.

An Israeli security source quoted by Haaretz called the operation's timing reckless, noting it coincided with the Sukkot holiday, when the population of nearby illegal outposts swells. The source said the military had not coordinated with national police or the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service before sending the small escort in, leaving it without backup when the crowd formed.

The scale of the assault, and the injuries inflicted on Israel's own security personnel, drew condemnation from figures who have largely stayed quiet on settler violence against Palestinians. President Isaac Herzog called the attack a "moral stain." Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief now challenging Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of next month's elections, warned of a "campaign of terror and violence."

Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the reaction reflects what is and isn't taken seriously inside Israel. "Palestinian rights or safety are not the concern, even for people who are in the opposition," she said. "The settler violence is an issue [for them] because it's making Israel look bad, and also the idea that the military is losing control."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the pattern extends well beyond Jalud. Julien Lerisson, head of the ICRC's delegation for Israel and Palestine, said settler attacks, settlement expansion, and movement restrictions are making daily life untenable for Palestinian civilians, whom Israel is obligated to protect under international law.

"The frequent and severe violence must be brought to an end," Lerisson said.

According to the Israeli rights group B'Tselem, more than 60 Palestinian communities in the West Bank have been erased since October 2023, with 18 more partly displaced. Nearly 5,000 people have been forced from their homes, almost half of them children.

The Netherlands' ban on settlement goods imports took effect last week. The UK has announced plans for broader trade and financing restrictions. A similar measure is expected to be introduced in the US Congress this week, a day after a Senate bill requiring a human rights report on the occupation was narrowly defeated, with all but one Democrat backing it.