Israeli settlers carry out series of West Bank attacks as security forces stand by

Israeli settlers have carried out a series of attacks across the occupied West Bank, setting homes and vehicles on fire and wounding several Palestinians in what witnesses described as coordinated raids on communities.The violence, reported across at least half a dozen locations overnight from Saturday into Sunday, comes amid a wider surge in tensions in the territory. The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, cited local sources as saying settlers had entered al-Fandaqumiya and the nearby town of Seilat al-Dahr, south of Jenin, late on Saturday.In al-Fandaqumiya, settlers set fire to houses and cars and smashed windows of other homes as residents “attempted to confront them and put out the fires”, according to Wafa. In Seilat al-Dahr, several homes were targeted and a resident was beaten, leaving him injured.Further attacks were reported in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, where two Palestinians were wounded and three arrested after settlers entered the area under the protection of Israeli forces, Wafa said. In the villages of Qaryout and Jaloud, south of Nablus, vehicles were burned and residents injured during similar raids. In Jalud, images showed a four-wheel-drive vehicle reduced to a charred shell.A Palestinian man inspects the remains of his burnt-out home in al-Fandaqumiya. Photograph: Zain Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesElsewhere, settlers gathered along roads near Haris, west of Salfit, and near Rawabi in the Ramallah area, throwing stones at passing Palestinian vehicles. Comparable incidents were reported in Tuqou, south-east of Bethlehem.In Qaryout and Jaloud, about 100 masked settlers carried out successive waves of raids. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as vehicles were set ablaze and homes attacked. At least five cars were burned, while others — including a fire engine — were vandalised.Israeli troops and police were present on the outskirts of the villages by 2am, but did not stop the attacks, which continued into the night, or prevent settlers moving between villages, witnessed told the Guardian. Footage from a CCTV camera showed a large group of hooded settlers dressed in black withdrawing from Jaloud.The attacks unfolded during Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and form part of a broader escalation in settler violence that has intensified since the start of the war in Gaza. Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023, according to the UN.Human rights organisations say such attacks often occur with little accountability. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has accused the government of enabling settler violence “as part of a strategy to cement the takeover of Palestinian land”. The UN has said Israeli policies in the West Bank risk forcibly displacing Palestinian communities.A Palestinian man inspects his burnt-out vehicle in the village of Seilat al-Dahr. Photograph: Zain Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Israeli military said it had responded to incidents involving Israeli civilians carrying out “arson against structures and property” and disturbances in the area, but did not report any arrests.Israeli forces also shot and wounded two Palestinians late on Saturday at the Jabara checkpoint, south of Tulkarem, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.The leader of Israel’s centre-left Democrats, Yair Golan, condemned the violence on Sunday and accused the government of enabling lawlessness in the occupied West Bank.He wrote on X: “While we are fighting in Iran and on the northern border, under missile attacks and with many seriously wounded, this government is encouraging total anarchy.“Jewish terrorism is spreading, exploiting the war, with the backing of extremist ministers and dangerous encouragement from the prime minister and the defence minister.’’‘‘This is a failure of responsibility for Israel’s security.B’Tselem reported on 15 March that Israeli troops operating in Tamoun in the northern Jordan Valley had opened fire on a vehicle driving in the village, killing a Palestinian couple and two of their children. They were named as Ali Bani Odeh, 38; his wife, Waad Bani Odeh, 36; and their sons Othman, six, and Mohammad, five.‘‘Soldiers removed two other children from the vehicle: Khaled, 11, and Mustafa, eight. Both sustained light injuries from shrapnel, the group said in a statement. ‘‘They then violently interrogated Khaled at the scene. Initially, the military prevented ambulances from reaching the area, and only after some time were medical teams allowed to approach. The military confiscated the family’s vehicle, which was riddled with bullets.’’In another attack in March, Israeli settlers sexually assaulted a Palestinian man, tying his genitalia with zip ties and parading him naked in front of his family, according to the victim and witnesses.Israel has killed at least 26 Palestinians in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, of whom at least 18 were shot by the military.