JERUSALEM – An assault by Israeli settlers on soldiers in the occupied West Bank drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, including an unusual rebuke from far-right ministers who typically support the settlement movement.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, considered the two most hardline members of the ruling coalition, called for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
The army said dozens of “civilians” attacked its forces on Sunday night at a military base in the central West Bank, vandalising army vehicles and a security installation.
According to Israeli media, the attackers were settlers who targeted the commander of the military’s Binyamin Regional Brigade, calling him a “traitor”.
The attack was widely seen as a reprisal for the arrest of six settlers two days earlier.
In that incident, the commander and troops were attacked as they tried to stop settlers entering a closed military zone near the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned both attacks, saying “no law-abiding country can tolerate acts of violence and anarchy.”
Ben Gvir was among the last senior figures to react.
“Harming our security forces, security installations and the soldiers who are our children, brothers and defenders, crosses a red line, and must be treated with the utmost severity,” he wrote on X.
A lawyer, Ben Gvir gained a name for himself before entering politics by defending in court several settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank.
Smotrich wrote on X: “Violence against (Israeli) soldiers and our beloved police forces and the destruction of property are unacceptable.”
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and violence has surged there since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
Since then, Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank have killed at least 947 Palestinians — many of them militants, but also scores of civilians — according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
At least 35 Israelis, including both civilians and security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to Israeli official.
