Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, saying security operations should be handled only by state institutions, including the army and police.
Speaking in an interview broadcast by Israel’s Channel 14 on Sunday (30 August), Netanyahu said settlers should not interfere with military operations.
“Do you want to enter the village? You will not enter. That is not your job. There is an army, there is a police force, there is a government, and you simply will not go in there. I am not prepared to tolerate this,” Netanyahu said.
He added that such actions damage Israel’s international reputation and harm the settlement movement itself.
Despite criticising settler actions, Netanyahu reaffirmed his support for expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Israel refers to as Judea and Samaria.
“The international media blows it out of proportion, the local media blows it out of proportion, and therefore it causes a great deal of damage,” Netanyahu said.
“It is not justified in itself, but it is also very bad for the settlement enterprise.”
Netanyahu said his government had worked for years to strengthen Israeli communities in the territory.
Asked about the number of settlements and outposts established or renewed, Netanyahu said there were around 160 farms and approximately 84 communities, some newly created and others approved by the government.
Netanyahu’s comments came after dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked homes near the Palestinian village of Qusra on Saturday (29 August).
According to witnesses cited by Reuters, settlers surrounded a Palestinian home, threw stones and trapped seven Palestinians inside.
Rights groups say the increasing settler presence on the edge of Palestinian villages, such as Qusra, is part of a wider effort by settlers to seize more land from Palestinians, further eating into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.
Netanyahu, however, has repeatedly defended Israel’s presence in the territory and called on settlers to rely on state institutions for security and construction activities.
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