Dozens of Israeli settlers attempt to break into West Bank IDF base, set fires

The remnants of computer systems at an IDF site set ablaze by Israelis in the West Bank overnight 29-30 June 2025

Hagar Shezaf and Yaniv Kubovich report in Haaretz on 30 June 2025:

Dozens of Israeli settlers vandalized and torched an IDF base in the West Bank overnight, assaulting soldiers and damaging security systems meant to prevent terrorist attacks, the military said Monday. No arrests were made.

A military source said the settlers, who attacked the Binyamin Regional Brigade headquarters, were protesting the shooting of a 14-year-old Israeli from Beit She’an, who they claim was injured by IDF fire over the weekend.  The Binyamin Regional Brigade oversees the Ramallah area, north of Jerusalem. According to the IDF, “Damage to the site poses a danger to the safety of civilians.”

The attack follows another incident on Friday, when settlers assaulted an IDF battalion commander and his soldiers for five hours near an illegal outpost north of Ramallah, throwing stones, puncturing vehicle tires, and attempting to run soldiers over, according to the army.

In a statement, the IDF said that during Sunday’s riot, the settlers set fire to a security system used to prevent terrorist attacks. The facility, which cost 3 million shekels to build, was damaged in the blaze, though the extent of the damage remains unclear. Graffiti reading “Revenge for the shooting, regards from Beit She’an” was sprayed at the scene.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “No civilized country can tolerate violent and anarchistic acts such as the burning of a military facility, damage to IDF property, and the assault of security personnel by citizens of the state.” “Those who commit such acts undermine the rule of law and harm the state,” he added, and called for law enforcement to prosecute those responsible.

“The settler community serves as a model of land development, meaningful service in the IDF, and contribution to the education of Torah scholars. We will not allow a small, violent, and extremist group to tarnish an entire public,” he said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had scheduled an urgent meeting with all security agencies “to discuss to matter,” intending to “uproot this violence at its source.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, said that Israeli rioters’ assaults on IDF soldiers in the West Bank are “criminal” and unacceptable. “Criminals are criminals are criminals. Everywhere in the country,” adding that violence against soldiers and police “crosses a red line.”

He also said that settlement in the West Bank is “the beautiful face of Israel,” adding that there is “no connection between [settlements] and these types of incidents.”

On Friday night, around 70 settlers rioted and attacked soldiers, including a battalion commander, who had arrived at the Hatzor outpost in the central West Bank to enforce its evacuation. The outpost had been cleared the previous night following settler riots in the nearby Palestinian village of Kfar Malik, where three Palestinians had been killed by IDF fire. The army identified settlers attempting to return to the outpost. Some settlers also choked a soldier, punctured the tires of a police vehicle, and attempted to run over soldiers.

The Honenu organization, a right-wing legal aid nonprofit, claimed that soldiers shot the 14-year-old in the incident, who was later evacuated in stable condition and conscious to hospital.

The battalion commander involved in the incident said that soldiers did not open fire at any point. According to police, the teen was likely injured in a separate incident in the same area, which was reported to the Military Police and the Police Internal Investigations Department.

The IDF said that masked settlers had thrown stones at a military vehicle near the Kochav Yaakov settlement, and soldiers, believing the attackers to be Palestinians, responded with warning shots in the air. The military is currently investigating whether the 14-year-old was injured by IDF fire.

Following the riots, six settlers were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the assault. On Sunday, an Israeli court ordered the release of three of the six detainees involved in the attack on a battalion commander and his soldiers. Still, the police requested a stay of execution on the decision. The remand of a minor was extended by 24 hours. The other two detainees will be brought to court on Monday for a hearing on extending their remands.

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