Why are Israeli settlers on a rampage in the occupied West Bank?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli settler violence has escalated in the occupied West Bank after a deadly confrontation near Nablus, with at least two mosques attacked and dozens of Palestinians detained. The report said tensions rose after Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians in Tal, near the settlement outpost of Havat Gilad, during an incident in which settlers entered the town and residents confronted them. Two Israelis were also killed in the confrontation.

According to the article, nearly 30 settlers entered Tal last Friday and attempted to break into two homes before opening fire. Al Jazeera cited video showing a Palestinian man taking a settler’s rifle and shooting him, before soldiers killed the Palestinian man. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the military had been instructed to enter villages, search for weapons and make arrests, and warned of broader action in what he called “terrorist strongholds.”

Village officials said settlers set fire to a mosque in Qusra, southeast of Nablus, and sprayed Hebrew graffiti including “Jewish revenge” and the name of one Israeli killed near Tal. Palestinian officials also said settlers tried to burn a mosque near Kour, southeast of Tulkarem, but worshippers contained the fire before it reached the main prayer area. Al Jazeera also reported a filmed arson attack on a Palestinian home in Beit Furik.

Citing Israeli Army Radio, Al Jazeera said at least 30 settler attacks were recorded across the territory since Friday, and that such incidents rose sharply in the first half of 2026. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said about 80 people had been arrested in Tal since Friday, most later released, with around 18 still detained.