Israeli leaders condemn Samaria riot after 100 demonstrators clash with security personnel

Rioters do not represent the majority of law-abiding settlers in Judea and Samaria, says Netanyahu, after condemning riot.

By World Israel News Staff

More than 100 Israeli civilians rioted on a disputed hill outside of the Palestinian Authority-administered town of Jalud in Samaria overnight between Monday and Tuesday, setting fire to property and throwing rocks at Israeli security forces.

The IDF and Border Police had deployed to the hill to facilitate the return of the Al-Tubasi family, whose members left their homes in July.

Earlier this month, the High Court of Justice ordered security forces to enable the residents to return.

But word of the planned operation circulated among groups of Hilltop Youth activists, prompting calls for supporters to rush to the village and stop the family’s return.

By the time the operation was underway, more than 100 demonstrators had arrived, according to the IDF.

The protesters blocked roads, burned tires and hurled stones at soldiers and Border Police officers. Arab-owned buildings, vehicles and other property were also set ablaze.

Three Border Police officers suffered light injuries, while a security forces vehicle was damaged.

“Due to the violence, the mission to return the family to their home was not completed,” the IDF said.

Footage from the village showed flames engulfing property and extensive damage inside at least one of the homes. Palestinian reports said the Al-Tubasi family’s houses were among those torched, although the extent of the fire damage was initially unclear.

Security forces used riot-control measures to disperse the crowd. Two suspects, aged 15 and 17, were detained overnight and handed over to police, while a third Israeli from Jerusalem was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of participating in the violence.

Police investigators and forensic teams were expected to enter the village under IDF protection to collect evidence and testimony.

“The security establishment strongly condemns any harm to security personnel while carrying out their duties, as well as acts of vandalism and damage to property,” the military said.

“Such incidents divert attention, undermine stability, and hinder the security forces’ defensive and counterterrorism activities.”

President Isaac Herzog condemned the events in unusually strong terms, calling the violence “of utmost severity” and “a moral stain” on the country.

“Arson, rock-throwing, and the assault and injury of IDF soldiers and Border Police officers are absolutely prohibited and can have no justification whatsoever,” Herzog said.

“The violence stands in profound contradiction to Jewish values,” he added, calling on law enforcement agencies to “act decisively against the lawbreakers and bring them to justice.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly condemned the rioters while stressing that they did not represent the broader Jewish population of Judea and Samaria.

“The handful of rioters does not represent the law-abiding settler population in Judea and Samaria; it does a tremendous injustice and interferes with our forces in carrying out their mission,” Netanyahu said.

“I fully support the IDF soldiers and Border Police officers who are working to thwart terrorism and maintain security, and I call on law enforcement authorities to prosecute the rioters to the fullest extent of the law.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the incident “serious and abhorrent” and said investigators should conduct a comprehensive probe.

“Those who commit these criminal offenses, divert the attention of Border Police and IDF soldiers, and even harm them, are criminals who must be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law,” Sa’ar said.

“They harm our values. They harm Jewish settlement. They harm Israel.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz, speaking during a visit to Judea and Samaria, said the rioters had diverted security personnel away from their missions and “seriously undermine security efforts, the settlement enterprise, and the State of Israel.”

He also emphasized that those involved represented only a small fringe and called for the perpetrators to be identified and prosecuted.

A statement circulated by Jewish residents of the area offered a sharply different account of the events, however, disputing reports that the confrontation took place inside Jalud itself.

According to the statement, the clash centered on a strategic hilltop near the Jewish community of Esh Kodesh that has been the focus of a long-running dispute between local Jewish residents and Palestinians from Jalud and Qusra.

The residents said the hill, known locally as “Givat HaTzambarim,” overlooks Esh Kodesh and had for years been associated with stone-throwing and other attacks against Jewish residents.

They said that Jalud began expanding toward the hill roughly eight years ago, when roads and infrastructure were laid and members of the Al-Tubasi family built two homes there after moving from Tammun in northern Samaria.

According to their account, the establishment of a permanent Palestinian presence on the hill intensified security concerns in the surrounding area.