A large group of Israeli settlers, some of them armed, stormed the village of Jit on the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday evening. Wearing masks, they set vehicles and homes on fire. A 23-year-old Palestinian was shot to death and another was seriously injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah.
The international community's criticism is now growing. The UN Human Rights Council calls the settler attack "appalling".
What is striking and important to remember is that yesterday's killing in Jit is not an isolated attack, and that it is a direct consequence of Israel's settlement policy on the West Bank, says spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani at a press conference.
Sanctions against enablers
The German, French, and British Foreign Ministries, as well as the White House, have also condemned what they call "unacceptable" attacks on Palestinians carried out by extremist settlers.
"Israeli authorities must take action to protect all members of society from harm, which includes intervening to stop such forms of violence and holding all perpetrators accountable", comments a spokesperson for the US National Security Council.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell will propose sanctions against Israelis who enable settler violence, he announces on X – including several government representatives.
"Day after day, under almost total impunity, Israeli settlers fuel the violence on the occupied West Bank", he writes.
Threw Molotov cocktails
Even Israel's President Isaac Herzog has condemned the violence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he takes the incident seriously.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, however, calls the attack "organized state terrorism".
The Israeli army admits that "dozens of Israeli civilians, some of them masked" went to Jit and "set vehicles and buildings in the area on fire, threw stones and Molotov cocktails". According to the military, the death will be investigated, reports Times of Israel.
None of the rioters have been arrested yet.
