These incidents are now taking place across the West Bank, despite Major General Avi Bluth — the military commander responsible for the occupied territories — defining settler violence as “Jewish terrorism.” The Central Command chief warned the prime minister of a possible violent Palestinian uprising in the West Bank, yet the army is not acting to stop the attackers. Weekly review – May 2–9, 2026
More than 20 settler attacks and invasions of Palestinian residential compounds in the occupied West Bank were recorded over the weekend, most of them involving violence against residents and vandalism of property. The sharp increase in such invasions, and the beating of residents without fear of the authorities, is a new phenomenon. The fact that Central Command chief and settler Avi Bluth spoke out against settler violence without receiving broad support from leaders of the Zionist opposition indicates that Jewish terrorism no longer shocks the Jewish public — and this is happening six months before the elections.
“A government with Mansour Abbas is worse than the October 7 massacre.” One has to read these words again and again to believe they were uttered by a minister in the Israeli government — the very government whose members bear responsibility for that massacre. Yet when it comes from Netanyahu’s government, even this is possible. The speaker was Bezalel Smotrich, the minister effectively dictating government policy, despite his party failing to cross the electoral threshold in current polls. But the problem is not only the government of failure and malice. The opposition, which is supposed to take power in October 2026, continues to fail repeatedly: its leaders — Bennett and Lapid explicitly — have ruled out any possibility of including an Arab party in a coalition they would form, while Eisenkot insists that only a government composed of Zionist parties should be established after the elections. And what can be done? Mansour Abbas is not a Zionist. He did not “return to the land of his forefathers.” He comes from a family whose roots are in Maghar. His family never went into exile from here.
But the opposition is failing in other respects as well. Listening to its leaders makes clear that they have not dared to oppose the destruction in Gaza, and they support the pointless war with Iran. Their spokespeople criticize the conduct of the current war and the failure to achieve its goals on its three fronts. They do not dare challenge the distorted logic underlying the policy of Netanyahu`s government. Yet there is no real policy there, and all the prime minister offers is the continuation of war (which postpones his court hearings), because in his view bombs, killing, and destruction solve everything. Therefore, from his perspective, the indiscriminate death of civilians is a legitimate tool. By contrast, diplomatic measures capable of generating effective pressure on Iran are not on the agenda.
Sunday – A 26-year-old man was killed and four others wounded by Israeli army fire during a raid in central Nablus. Among the wounded was a 12-year-old boy shot in the shoulder. The man killed, Nayef Firas Ziyad Samaro, was shot in the head. Another thirty people suffered tear gas inhalation, ten of whom were hospitalized. According to the army, the incident began when residents rioted and threw stones at an Israeli military force patrolling the area.
The newspaper Haaretz reported that Central Command chief Avi Bluth acknowledged that enforcement policy against Jewish and Palestinian stone-throwers in the West Bank differs because “soldiers shooting Jews has difficult sociological consequences.” According to the report, based on remarks made in a closed forum, the general said he had relaxed the rules of engagement against Palestinians, especially regarding those crossing the separation barrier. “Today, it is permitted to carry out an arrest procedure up to shooting below the knee in order to create obstacle awareness,” he was quoted as saying. “There are now many ‘limping monuments’ in Palestinian villages — people who tried to cross and got hit — so there is a price to pay.”
Monday – Activists from “Looking the Occupation in the Eye” participated in a project establishing fences and gates around Palestinian residential compounds exposed to repeated attacks from nearby outposts established recently. The fences are intended to prevent intrusions into the homes, though they cannot fully stop invasions, since attackers sometimes succeed in cutting through them.
Tuesday – Settlers raided residential buildings in Khallet Amira in Masafer Yatta and injured residents, three of whom required medical treatment. Residents were arrested by the army.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, said that the proper Zionist response to Smotrich’s “words of poison” required a clear leadership decision: to stop dancing to Netanyahu’s tune and publicly declare today that Mansour Abbas is a legitimate partner for forming a government.
Wednesday – Young settlers, followers of Noam Jackson, once again invaded Khirbet a-Tawil. They confronted activists from “Looking the Occupation in the Eye,” who maintain a protective presence there, and one of the minors sprayed pepper spray at the activists. The settlers, including one in military uniform and riding ATVs, drove recklessly through plots of land where a Palestinian herd was grazing. The settlers’ cattle were directed by their handlers to eat from sacks of feed belonging to Palestinians.
Danny Danieli maintained a protective presence among Palestinian families living near the Taybeh junction. This residential compound has become a target of ethnic cleansing, carried out by the same rioters responsible for the expulsion of the Ras Ein al-Auja community. He wrote:
“Today the terrorists (including a terrorist cub about 10 years old) brought sheep and camel herds close to the communities’ fences. One of them sabotaged the fences and also threw stones at us. One hit me in the chest and another missed my head by a few centimeters… We reported the terrorists’ activity to the police at the beginning of the event, but at least until I left no officers arrived… On the other hand, an army force did arrive, and then the stone-throwing and fence sabotage stopped. A dialogue also developed with the officer and soldiers. Its essence: ‘All Jews are brothers, all Arabs support Hamas, there is no Jewish terrorism, only Palestinian terrorism. Choose whose side you are on.’”
Thursday – Taybeh junction. For the third day in a row, settlers harassed the families living there. They attempted to cut through the compound’s fence, using a child about 10 years old for the task. One settler cut the fence and entered the compound. The arrival of police officers did not stop the settlers’ actions.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar ordered the suspension of funding for literary events in Israel pending reconsideration. The decision followed plans to hold a launch event at the Einav Center in Tel Aviv for Enemy of the People, a book by journalist Israel Frey. “This is a far-left individual who expressed support for harming IDF soldiers. Israeli citizens will not pay from their pockets for such a disgraceful event,” the ministry said.
The previous day, Education Minister Yoav Kisch prevented Channel 12’s education correspondent from entering two schools to film reports (positive reports concerning education).
Friday – This was the “Day of Solidarity,” during which tours were held in friction zones between settlers and Palestinians. About 400 people participated, guided by activists from organizations maintaining a protective presence. A bus carrying participants on a tour guided by “Looking the Occupation in the Eye” activists was stopped by the army at the Shomron Gate shortly after departure. The participants returned to the tour’s starting point in Rosh HaAyin and entered the West Bank in private vehicles.
Masked men entered a residential compound in Stikh and attacked a family while they slept. A 10-year-old boy, his 21-year-old brother, and their mother were injured.
Groups of settlers set fire to the home of a Palestinian resident in the village of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya. Graffiti was sprayed and a vehicle was burned.
Saturday – More than 20 settler attacks and invasions were reported over the weekend, many involving violence against residents and destruction of property. In other cases, settlers prevented Palestinian farmers from cultivating their land.
Displaced residents from the Bedouin community of Ras Ein al-Auja, who left their village four months ago due to settler harassment, were attacked at their new location in Area A, in Osaigh near Jericho. Two residents — a husband and wife — required medical treatment. Gunshots were fired into the air. Soldiers later arrested the couple’s son.
Settlers threw stones at homes in the village of Jurish on the outskirts of Nablus, broke into them, and beat the residents. Two women — a 35-year-old pregnant woman and a 65-year-old woman — were injured.
In Umm al-Kheir in the southern Hebron Hills, settlers invaded the mini-football field dedicated by residents to the memory of Odeh al-Hadalin, who was shot dead by settler Yinon Levi.
.png)
