West Bank tensions soar after arrests and settler attacks

Israeli settlers attack Israeli soldiers and dozens of alleged Hamas operatives arrested in Hebron

A woman inspects a car burned by Israeli settlers in an attack that left three Palestinians dead in the West Bank. AP

Israel is grappling with fresh tensions in the occupied West Bank after a wave of arrests in Hebron and riots by Israeli settlers against the military that have revealed split loyalties in the far-right government.

Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, said it had arrested more than 60 Hamas operatives over the past three months with the help of the police and military. The series of operations announced on Sunday is one of the most intense in years against Hamas in the West Bank.

A statement from the agency said the arrests hit “large-scale Hamas infrastructure” in Hebron in an operation it described as the most complex it has undertaken in a decade. It added that the cell was working “to carry out shooting and bombing attacks against Israeli targets”, and that forces also uncovered weapons caches.

Mourners hold a funeral for Palestinian youths killed during an attack by Israeli settlers in Kafr Malik. Reuters

The operation in Hebron raises fears about the possible expansion of Israel’s unprecedented campaign in the north of the occupied West Bank, which has seen it occupy, destroy and evict the populations of refugee camps in cities such as Tulkarem and Jenin.

Like those areas, Hebron has a history of Palestinian militancy, including during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. This city has, however, experienced less Israeli military activity since the Gaza war began, in comparison to northern areas.

News of the wave of arrests came as settlers launched a series of attacks against Israeli soldiers. In the latest incident, an army installation in the West Bank was torched, causing millions of shekels' worth of damage. Hundreds of settlers rioted at the same time, with some holding signs calling a battalion commander a "traitor" after warning shots were fired to disperse settlers during a previous incident.

The clashes sparked condemnation across Israeli politics, including in the far-right governing coalition that itself contains many extremist settlers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “no civilised country can tolerate” the vandalism that took place and that “whoever commits such acts undermines the rule of law and harms the country”.

He nonetheless praised the wider settler movement, calling it an “example and role model for the development of the country”. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the violence crossed a “red line” and that the “beautiful face” of the settlement project had “no connection whatsoever to the type of incidents that were reported this morning”.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was criticised for taking the side of settlers over troops. Reuters

Mr Smotrich was widely criticised for taking the side of settlers after the earlier clash with Israeli soldiers in which the battalion commander fired warning shots. A 14-year-old Israeli in the area was taken to hospital with a bullet wound. The Israeli military has not confirmed whether the bullet came from its forces.

In the aftermath of the incident, Mr Smotrich posted on X that “live fire against Jews is a forbidden and dangerous crossing of a red line which requires an in-depth investigation”.

The clash took place in the village of Kafr Malik, near the Palestinian capital, Ramallah, which has been the scene of an increased rate of settler attacks against Palestinians in recent weeks. On Wednesday, three Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the village.

There has been a major acceleration in the rate of settler attacks against Palestinian communities, with attacks on people, property and livestock since the Gaza war began. Israeli politicians rarely condemn the attacks and perpetrators are almost never brought to justice.