Netanyahu condemns settler attack on soldiers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned an attack by a group of West Bank settlers on IDF soldiers on Friday night, just days after a deadly assault on Palestinians in the same village.

Friday night saw crowds of rioters attack soldiers, including a high-ranking officer, at the Palestinian village of Kafr Malik near Ramallah.

When the troops tried to disperse the gathering, dozens of settlers allegedly hurled rocks and attacked them. The settlers then reportedly vandalised the security forces' vehicles and attempted to ram them over. Six Israelis were arrested following the clash.

It comes after three Palestinians were shot dead and seven more injured on Wednesday during a settler rampage in Kafr Malik, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry.

A vehicle allegedly set on fire during a settler rampage of the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir on June 25, 2025. (Yesh Din)[Missing Credit]

Over 100 settlers took part in the attack, according to the Yesh Din rights group, with footage showing several homes and cars torched in the violence.

In response to Friday’s attack, Netanyahu said: “I strongly condemn the acts of rioting that took place in the Binyamin region, during which IDF soldiers were attacked.

“The State of Israel is a state of law, and no one is allowed to take the law into their own hands.

“The incident must be thoroughly investigated, and the law must be fully enforced against anyone who broke it and acted against our soldiers.”

However, his finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, criticised the IDF for allegedly using live fire against the settlers.

"The IDF and the settlers are one and the same. Whoever raises a hand against IDF soldiers is fighting against the settlement enterprise, not for it. And yet – live fire against Jews is forbidden and dangerous,” he said.

The comments of the far-right minister sparked outrage among opposition politicians in Israel, with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid writing on X: “Jewish terrorists beat IDF soldiers, punched a battalion commander defending them and Smotrich says that the ones who ‘crossed the line’ are not the extremist criminals but actually the IDF soldiers there to protect them.

“Our lives are in the hands of criminals.”

Likewise, Dvir Kariv, a former top official with the Shin Bet’s division tasked with handling Jewish terror, told the Ynet news site that settlers are being emboldened by far-right politicians like Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel national security minister.

“The hilltop youth feel they have a tailwind from the leadership, from Smotrich and Ben Gvir, and so they are ramping up [violence,]” he said, noting that the Shin Bet is making more use of administrative detention, which allows them to hold suspects without charge, in reaction to Ben-Gvir.

“Hilltop youth are humiliating IDF soldiers and need to be punished severely. The moment Smotrich and Ben-Gvir don’t issue condemnations, [the violence] intensifies. They are backing it.”

The IDF says it is investigating after an Israeli settler was reportedly injured by live fire during Friday’s incident.

A 14-year-old was taken from the Ramallah area to the hospital in light condition after being hit by a bullet in his torso, but the IDF has said that “no live fire was conducted toward Israeli civilians”.

In a nearby area at the same time, settlers hurled stones at an army vehicle, and troops fired three warning shots in the air in response, the IDF said.

“It is being looked into if there is a relation between the incident and the claim that an Israeli civilian was hurt by live fire,” the army added.