West Bank · 08 September, 2026 · 3 min read
Israeli Settlers Attack Jalud, Netanyahu Condemns Violence as IDF Operations Continue
West Bank village Jalud attacked by settlers, targeting Palestinians and foreign media crews. Masked settlers assaulted NBC reporters in Jalud, drawing official condemnation.
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Settler violence and crackdowns
Over the weekend, Israeli settlers tore through West Bank towns and villages, attacking Palestinians and even foreign media crews, including masked settlers who set upon the American network NBC in the town of Jalud.
“Masked settlers set upon the American network NBC on Saturday in the town of Jalud”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attacks as a "handful of rioters who are violating the law, causing a grave injustice to the law-abiding Jewish community, interfering with the [Israel Defense Forces (IDF)] in carrying out its missions, and harming Israel's standing in the world".
The ABC contrasted two West Bank security responses, saying that in mid-August the IDF launched a military operation to quell settler attacks in Qusra, roughly 50 kilometres north of Jerusalem and less than 5 kilometres from Jalud, while a fortnight later the situation persisted despite the area being declared a military zone.
The ABC also described a deadly shooting in the village of Tell south of Nablus in late July, where it said two settlers and four Palestinians were killed, and that between Friday and Sunday evening Israeli police arrested more than 130 people, all Palestinians.
In the same reporting, the ABC quoted Doron Spielman describing the weekend settler violence as "acts … committed by a small group of rioters, many from broken homes" while the BBC framed the broader political context around settlements and international law.
UK sanctions and Israeli threats
As Britain prepares to announce measures targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials signaled retaliation if sanctions are imposed, with Gideon Saar telling Ynet: "If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain."
In the same BBC account, Ed Miliband said he would introduce a "comprehensive reset" of policy on Israel "in the coming weeks" and examine how to stop UK companies "financing, constructing or advertising new settlements" in the occupied West Bank.
The BBC said last month Israel opened up tenders for the construction of some 1,200 settlement homes in the so-called E1 area, and described Miliband calling the plans "illegal under international law" and "the crossing of a red line, as it cuts through the heart of the West Bank and risks making a Palestinian state unviable".
Al-Khaleej reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman? Jad?on Saar? said in a podcast, "If Britain takes action against Israel, Israel will take action against Britain," after Miliband announced a package of "comprehensive" measures in the coming weeks.
Al-Khaleej added that Miliband told Parliament the E1 settlement project would cut into land Palestinians seek to establish their state on and "threatens to make the establishment of a Palestinian state unattainable."
What is at stake next
The dispute centers on the E1 settlement project, which the BBC said would in effect divide the West Bank in two and isolate East Jerusalem, while Miliband warned it could "imperil or end" the two-state solution.
“"threatens to make the establishment of a Palestinian state unattainable"”
In Al-Khaleej’s account, Miliband said the government would not accept undermining a two-state solution and that "we will act, and I will announce a comprehensive set of measures in the coming weeks."
Amnesty International UK framed the stakes in enforcement terms, with Peter Frankental saying: "The devil will be in the detail," and warning that a ban limited to only goods or only imports, or lacking enforcement powers, would fall short.
Amnesty also argued that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are living through a campaign of ethnic cleansing and that "Settlements are at the heart of Israel's illegal occupation and system of apartheid - and the trade that sustains them must be stopped," as the UK government prepares to announce a ban on trade with Israel’s settlements.
With Israel warning it would respond to any British sanctions, the BBC said the UK would examine how to stop UK companies financing, constructing or advertising new settlements in the occupied West Bank, while the ABC described ongoing settler attacks and daily arrests across the West Bank as the immediate backdrop.