Dubai, UAE — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday his government would establish new settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and legalise additional existing ones after a deadly confrontation that left two Israelis and four Palestinians dead, according to AFP and Reuters.
In a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu announced what he described as a series of forceful measures, including raids on Palestinian villages suspected of sheltering militants, accelerating the legalisation of farm outposts and establishing new ones. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
The violence unfolded near the Palestinian town of Tal, southwest of Nablus. Palestinian officials said Israeli settlers attacked the area, killing four Palestinians and wounding four others alongside Israeli forces, Reuters reported.
Essam Saifi, a local Fatah leader in Tal, told Reuters that around 25 to 30 Israeli settlers initially attacked the eastern part of the town and attempted to enter two homes. Residents confronted them before settlers opened fire, he said.
Saifi said the settlers later returned to another part of the town, injuring a minor, before Israeli soldiers arrived and opened fire alongside the settlers.
Following the incident, Israeli forces established roadblocks around Tal and Nablus, saying they were pursuing those involved. The military also announced preparations for extensive counterterrorism operations in the area and cancelled leave for troops.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for nearby Palestinian villages to be cleared and for new settlements to be built, saying the move would strengthen Israel’s hold over the territory, according to AFP.
Violence across the occupied West Bank has intensified since the Gaza war began. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in West Bank settlements alongside about three million Palestinians. According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, at least 1,094 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the war began, while official Israeli figures show at least 47 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.
