Lammy condemns Israeli settler ‘rampage’ in the West Bank on Middle East visit

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has condemned the “widespread rampage” of Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

On Thursday night settlers rioted in the village of Jit, near the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, killing one Palestinian and badly injuring others, according to Palestinian health officials.

Residents interviewed by The Associated Press said at least a hundred masked settlers entered the village, shot live ammunition, burned homes and cars and damaged water tankers.

Footage online showed fire ravaging the small village, which Palestinian residents said was left without military assistance for two hours.

In a rare condemnation of settler violence, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he took the riots “seriously” and that Israelis who carried out criminal acts would be prosecuted.

Mr Lammy, who is currently on a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories (OPT) alongside the French foreign minister, said the behaviour of the Israeli settlers “is abhorrent”.

He said: “The scenes overnight of the burning and the torching of buildings, of the Molotov cocktails thrown at cars, of the widespread rampage and chasing of people from their homes is abhorrent and I condemn it in the strongest of terms.

“Prime minister Netanyahu has said that there will be a swift investigation. I hope that that investigation can ensure that those who have engaged in this settler violence over the course of the last 24 hours are brought to justice.”

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, violence has flared in the occupied territory, with Palestinian health officials stating 633 Palestinians, including 147 children and teenagers, have been killed by Israeli fire and more than 5,400 injured.

Many have been killed during Israeli military raids into Palestinian cities and towns, but settlers have killed at least 11 Palestinians, including two children, and injured 234 people, according to AIDA, a coalition of non-profit and other groups working in the territory.

The most recent bout of settler violence comes as officials from the US, Qatar and Egypt met with an Israeli delegation in Qatar to secure a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Gaza war.

Hamas representatives did not attend negotiations on Thursday after accusing Israel of adding new demands to a previous proposal that had US and international support.

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas who had been leading ceasefire negotiations for the terrorist group, was assassinated in an airstrike in the Iranian capital of Tehran at the end of July.

Mediating parties have been attempting to secure an agreement for a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release a number of hostages captured in the October 7 attack in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

On the negotiations, Mr Lammy said: “I am pleased that the reports out of Qatar suggest that the first day of hostage talks has gone well and that it has been important to listen to ministers here in Israel and hear too from them that they hope that we are on the cusp of a deal.

“This is war and a crisis that has taken so many lives across the region and that of course began with the most horrific of events on October 7.

“But as we head now to 315 days of war, the time for a deal for those hostages to be returned, for aid to get in in the quantities that are necessary in Gaza, and for the fighting to stop is now.

“And of course, that is the message that we have jointly underlined to ministers today both in Israel and of course in the occupied territories.”

Gaza’s health ministry has said more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, which has also wounded 92,401 people and displaced more than 85% of the population from their homes.

Escalating tensions have raised fears of all-out war in the region as fire is regularly exchanged between Lebanon-backed Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

Israeli forces have regularly targeted mosques, schools, hospitals and cemeteries in Gaza where it claims fighters or tunnels are located, often causing civilian casualties.

The fighting has also killed 329 Israeli soldiers.