Senior Israeli officials sounded an urgent alarm as a wave of violent attacks by settlers in the West Bank swept into new levels. Groups of masked settlers torched vehicles, vandalized a mosque and clashed with soldiers near Palestinian villages. The toll of incidents has reached a record monthly high. The Israeli president called the acts “shocking” and demanded decisive action, while other senior military figures described the violence as a “minority of criminals” diverting security resources from serious threats. Critics say the government’s policy of settlement expansion, reduced accountability and weakened investigations helped create the very conditions for the surge. With the regional conflict already stretching Israel’s security forces, the explosion of internal violence adds another volatile front to the country’s challenges.
