The United States government has officially condemned violence perpetrated by “all parties” within the occupied West Bank. This statement from the State Department follows reports of heightened Israeli military activity and a series of violent incidents in the region, including an order from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a wide-scale military operation targeting Palestinian villages.
A spokesperson for the State Department emphasized that the U.S. maintains a regular dialogue with regional partners regarding the stabilization and security of the West Bank. The official noted that a stable environment in the territory is essential for Israel's security and aligns with the current administration's broader objectives to foster regional peace.
Tensions have reached a critical point following recent incursions in the town of Tell, located in the northern West Bank. On Saturday, illegal Israeli settlers reportedly raided the town for the second consecutive day, where they razed land and installed a mobile structure. This activity followed a violent attack the previous day, in which illegal settlers, supported by Israeli forces, killed four Palestinians and left four others injured.
According to data provided by the Palestinian health ministry, these recent deaths bring the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2026 to 86. Of these, 65 were killed by Israeli forces, while 21 were victims of illegal settlers.
The Palestinian foreign ministry has strongly denounced these events, labeling them a “massacre and terrorist crime” carried out by occupier militias working in tandem with the Israeli occupation forces. The ministry stated that the attacks demonstrate an integration of roles between the settlers and the military, and it has called upon the international community to implement immediate, practical measures to protect Palestinians from further violence.
Since the onset of the conflict in Gaza on October 7, 2023, official Palestinian figures indicate that the Israeli army and illegal settlers have intensified their actions across the West Bank, resulting in at least 1,185 deaths and 3,816 injuries.
