Israeli troops on Sunday launched a search for suspects after dozen of Jewish extremists clashed with cops and attacked a West Bank Palestinian village following the dismantlement of a nearby illegal settler outpost.
In addition to burning three vehicles and three buildings in Jaba following the demolition of Tzur Misgavi, in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, Jewish extremists also carried out attacks on Palestinians near Hebron and Jerusalem in the West Bank on Sunday, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA reported.
Without explicitly mentioning Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials expressed support for the military amid its pursuit of the “small, extremist group” of Jewish assailants.
The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, accused Israel of providing violent settlers with “the necessary support to expand,” and urged the international community to take immediate action against the “danger of organized settler militias that terrorize Palestinian towns and villages,” WAFA said.
Already high levels of settler violence following the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, have soared amid the Palestinian olive harvest season that began in the West Bank early last month. The PA’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission has reported at least 766 settler attacks throughout October. Some attacks have also targeted Israeli security forces and Israeli and Jewish volunteers harvesting with Palestinians.
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Israel rarely make arrests in cases of settler violence. Opposition groups have accused the government, particularly National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, of turning a blind eye to the violence.
During the demolition Sunday of the Tzur Misgavi outpost, southeast of Efrat, hundreds of settlers clashed with Border Police officers, wounding several, including one who was struck in the head with a rock. Six suspects were detained amid the clashes, the military and police said.
A Border Police officer puts a man in a chokehold during clashes between security forces and Jewish extremists amid the demolition of the West Bank outpost of Tzur Misgavi, near Efrat, November 17, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Later Sunday, dozens of Israelis attacked the village of Jaba, west of Bethlehem, in connection with the evacuation and demolition of Tzur Misgavi, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
“After the evacuation of the illegal structures… IDF, Border Police, and Israel Police forces rushed to the village of Jaba following a report that dozens of Israeli civilians had set fire to and vandalized homes and vehicles in the area,” said the military. “Security forces are searching for those involved. The incident is still ongoing.”
“The IDF views all violence of any kind gravely and condemns it, as it harms security in the area,” the military added, saying that such “acts of violence divert the attention of commanders and soldiers from defense and counterterrorism missions.”
Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Jab’a near Bethlehem, setting fire to homes and vehicles. Palestinian media reports there have been no recorded injuries so far. The IDF says it has deployed troops to the scene, and the incident is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/Qpq9MN52KG
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) November 17, 2025
Residents of Jaba were able to put out the fires set in their village before anyone was injured, though the homes and vehicles sustained damage, WAFA reported.
The outlet also reported Sunday that settlers threw stones at Bedouin farmers and their livestock near Anata, east of Jerusalem, and at a gathering that included women and children near the Bedouin village of Umm Al-Khair, south of Jerusalem.
In addition, WAFA reported that hours before the attack on Jaba, settlers assaulted residents of Sa’ir, north of Hebron, injuring several, while also burning a house and two vehicles. Locals cited by WAFA said Israeli security forces blocked medics and firefighters from arriving at the scene.
Israeli settler militias are attacking Palestinian homes in the Wadi Sa’ir area, north of Hebron. pic.twitter.com/iRgr7592Dc
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 17, 2025
Following the IDF’s announcement of a manhunt for the Israelis who attacked Jaba, Netanyahu, using the biblical term for the West Bank, said in a statement via his office that he views “with great severity the violent disturbances and the attempt to take the law into their own hands by a small, extremist group that does not represent the residents of Judea and Samaria.”
“I call on the law enforcement authorities to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. “I intend to deal with this personally, and convene the relevant ministers as soon as possible to address this serious phenomenon.”
“I stand by the IDF and the security forces, which will continue to act resolutely and without fear to maintain order,” the premier added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a debate at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on X that “the Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria harm the State of Israel, disgrace Judaism, and cause damage to the settlement project. They are not us. They are not the State of Israel.”
“The IDF, Shin Bet, and the Israeli Police must act decisively and firmly to stop this rampage, which is also directed at our soldiers and police officers,” said Sa’ar.
Defense Minister Israel Katz offered his “full backing” to the IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the West Bank’s highest military authority, who is reviled by extremist settlers.
“We will not tolerate attempts by a small, violent, criminal group of anarchistic law-breakers to take the law into their own hands and tarnish the settler public, and we will not allow them to harm IDF soldiers, undermine order, or divert forces from their missions of protecting the citizens of Israel and thwarting Palestinian terrorism,” said Katz.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar speaks at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on October 27, 2025. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)
“There will be no leniency toward anyone who resorts to violence. The security forces will continue operating on the ground, and we will continue to give them full support,” Katz said.
He added that in the coming weeks he will submit for government approval a draft decision offering “tolls and a budget” for “extensive and systemic action” by Col. (res.) Avichai Tanami, who was named earlier this year as a czar to handle extremist settlers in the West Bank.
“I am confident this will lead to a significant change on the ground,” said Katz, who upon taking office last year ended the controversial practice of administrative detention — whereby security forces can hold terror suspects for months on end without charge — for Jews, but not Palestinians.
Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks at a cadets’ graduation ceremony at the IDF’s Bahad 1 officers’ school in southern Israel, October 30, 2025. (Screenshot: Israel Defense Forces)
Responding to the latest violence, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said it was “time to move Ben Gvir aside and bring an end” to the settler attacks, which “harm Israel, harm us around the world, bring shame to Judaism and are a stain on Zionism.”
“These people are violent criminals, and it’s time to deal with this seriously,” said Lapid.
Unlike Netanyahu, Sa’ar and Katz, Lapid specified the target of the settler extremists, saying their “riot in the village of Jaba is another step in increasing violence.”