Israeli Settlers Attack West Bank Villages, Clash with Troops

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and property before clashing with Israeli soldiers dispatched to intervene, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. The assaults in Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf marked the latest in a sharp rise of settler violence against Palestinians, which has escalated amid the ongoing Gaza conflict and the annual olive harvest season.

Israeli police reported arresting four Israelis in connection with what they described as extremist violence, while the military stated that four Palestinians were wounded in the incidents. Soldiers initially responded to reports of settlers torching farmland, tin shacks, and tents belonging to a Bedouin community, as well as four dairy trucks. The settlers then fled to a nearby industrial zone and damaged a military vehicle during the confrontation. Palestinian official Muayyad Shaaban, head of the government's Commission against the Wall and Settlements, said the attacks formed part of a broader effort to displace Palestinians from their land. He accused Israeli authorities of providing settlers with protection and immunity,...