A senior Israeli military official has cautioned government leaders that escalating attacks by radical settlers in the West Bank could spark a fresh Palestinian uprising, while the European Union unveiled Thursday a new assistance initiative for Palestinians impacted by settler aggression.
Major General Avi Bluth, commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command, recently addressed a private gathering where he described violence by Jewish extremists as creating security, moral, and political dangers, according to Haaretz. The commander reportedly cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet that while Palestinian attacks remain relatively subdued, the situation could rapidly worsen.
“The coffee brewing is a good coffee—the level of terrorism is at its lowest—but there’s a constant simmer, and we don’t know where it will spill over. And when it spills over, it spills quickly,” Bluth stated according to the report.
The general also connected settler aggression to subsequent Palestinian retaliation, noting: “We know today of people [Palestinians] who were harmed in ‘price tag’ attacks and immediately afterward went out to carry out an attack.”
Meanwhile, Alexandre Stutzmann, the European Union’s representative to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, unveiled an assistance program for those targeted in settler attacks, as reported by the Palestinian Authority’s official WAFA news agency. Stutzmann characterized the escalating violence as a “wake-up call” and indicated the EU was considering additional political responses.
The aid announcement followed Stutzmann’s visit with international diplomats to al-Mughayyir, located northeast of Ramallah, where Palestinians documented destruction from recent settler incidents.
Both Israeli and Palestinian advocacy organizations have extensively recorded physical assaults, property destruction, vandalism, and harassment by extremist settlers throughout the West Bank. Palestinian officials and human rights organizations claim Israeli authorities fail to prevent such incidents or hold perpetrators accountable. Israel maintains it investigates violent acts and denies allegations that its security forces shield attackers.
The West Bank has remained under Israeli administration since the 1967 conflict. Between 470,000 and 500,000 Israelis reside in the region, which Israel refers to as Judea and Samaria. The majority of the global community views Israeli communities in the West Bank as violations of international law, though Israel contests this interpretation.
