Netanyahu calls illegal Israeli settlers 'law abiding' as violence sweeps West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to distance his government from the surging settler violence sweeping the occupied West Bank, insisting the attacks “do not represent the large community of settlers who are law-abiding and loyal to the state”, The Jerusalem Post reported.

He told ministers the escalating assaults were “caused by a minority”, even as documented attacks reach unprecedented levels.

The UN’s humanitarian office recorded more than 260 settler assaults in October alone, the highest monthly figure since it began tracking the pattern in 2006. Palestinians say the violence is part of a broader strategy to drive them from their land while Israel accelerates efforts to entrench its control.

Israel continues to push towards formal annexation of the occupied territory, a move that violates international law and further entrenches the system of apartheid and dispossession Palestinians face daily.