US weighs action against Israeli military units over West Bank settler violence: report
Israeli soldiers are seen guarding the road between Ganim and Kadim as Israeli settlers celebrate the inauguration of a newly built illegal outpost in Kadim in the occupied West Bank. (File/AP)
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US weighs action against Israeli military units over West Bank settler violence: report
arab.news
Updated 3 October 2026 13:08
Arab News
October 3, 202613:03
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- Senior US officials issue warning to Israeli authorities over failure to halt settler attacks, Haaretz newspaper says
- Washington also considering compiling blacklist of Israeli military and police officers accused of allowing attacks to take place
JERUSALEM: The Trump administration is considering measures against Israeli military units and restrictions on their use of US-made weapons over escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Haaretz reported.
Senior US officials have issued an unusually sharp warning to Israel’s defense establishment and are closely monitoring attacks in the territory amid concerns over the involvement of Israeli authorities or their failure to prevent the violence, according to sources cited by the newspaper.
Options under consideration include measures against Israeli military units accused of inflicting exceptional harm on Palestinian civilians and restrictions preventing certain units from using US-made weapons or barring their use in specific areas, Haaretz reported.
Washington is also considering compiling a blacklist of Israeli military and police officers accused of allowing violent settler attacks to take place, according to the report.
The deliberations would mark a significant shift for President Donald Trump, who on his first day back in office in January 2025 revoked sanctions imposed by former president Joe Biden’s administration on Israeli settlers and organizations accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The potential measures come amid a sharp increase in settler attacks and displacement across the occupied territory.
More than 1,600 settler attacks resulting in Palestinian casualties or property damage had been recorded across 275 communities by mid-September, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The attacks were occurring at an average rate of 6.7 a day, compared with five a day in 2025. More than 2,600 Palestinians had been displaced this year as a result of settler violence and related restrictions on access.
The issue came under renewed scrutiny this week after more than 100 Israeli settlers attacked the West Bank village of Jalud as Israeli forces attempted to escort a displaced Palestinian family back to its homes.
Settlers set fire to the family’s homes, blocked roads and threw rocks at Israeli security personnel, injuring three officers and forcing the family to leave again, according to witnesses and the Israeli military. Two settlers were arrested.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Jalud violence and called for those responsible to be prosecuted, while saying the perpetrators were a “small number of rioters” who did not represent the wider settler community.
Haaretz reported, however, that senior US officials do not accept the characterization of those responsible for the violence as a small fringe group.
Sources cited by the newspaper said Washington was concerned about the role of the Israeli military, police, Shin Bet security service and Civil Administration in failing to prevent attacks and land seizures and, in some cases, allegedly facilitating them.
US officials were also monitoring policies promoted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who holds additional responsibilities within the Defense Ministry, amid concerns that his efforts to expand Israeli control in the West Bank were accelerating ahead of Israel’s election.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. Israel disputes this characterization.
https://www.arabnews.com/middle-eas...ver-west-bank-settler-violence-report-3004429