Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence of a "handful of extremists" among Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, following clashes and attacks on Monday.
"I view with great severity the violent riots and the attempt by a handful of extremists to take the law into their own hands," Netanyahu said, calling the perpetrators "a group that does not represent" Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territory.
Homes and vehicles were torched and vandalised in a Palestinian village in the West Bank on Monday evening after demonstrators earlier clashed with security forces dismantling an illegal settler outpost in the same area.
A large force was deployed to the Tzur Misgavi outpost in the Gush Etzion area, south of Bethlehem, footage broadcast by Israeli media showed.
One clip showed a bulldozer knocking into the side of a building with people standing on top.
Israeli media said 25 families were evacuated from the site.
Violence in the West Bank has soared since the Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war in October 2023.
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In recent weeks, attacks attributed to Israeli settlers, notably those living in outposts, have multiplied in the West Bank, targeting Palestinians and sometimes Israeli soldiers.
Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir said last week that he wanted to put a stop to such attacks.
The United Nations said October had been the worst month for West Bank settler violence since it began recording incidents in 2006, with 264 attacks that caused casualties or property damage.
Almost none of the perpetrators have been held to account by the Israeli authorities.
"The evacuation is being carried out in accordance with the law," said COGAT, the Israeli body that runs civil affairs in the Palestinian territories.
"Criminal activity and severe incidents of violence at the site affected the security of the area," it said in a statement.
The authorities and security forces will continue to "uphold law and order" in the West Bank, "with a particular focus on enforcing action against structures built illegally".
'Difficult day'
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and more than 500,000 Israelis now live there in settlements, alongside some three million Palestinians.
While all Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory are illegal under international law, outposts are also prohibited under Israeli law. However, many end up being legalised by the Israeli authorities.
Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – a proponent of settlement expansion and a settler himself – oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories.
Smotrich said he ordered the demolition of Tzur Misgavi because the outpost was built on land already designated for a construction project.
"No-one is going to teach us how to build settlements," he said in a statement.
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In a video message to residents, Yaron Rosenthal, the head of the Gush Etzion regional council, said he had been asking the settlers since January to stop building the outpost, as a road is planned to pass through that area.
"This is a difficult day, but if we don't stop the illegal construction today, we will pay a heavy price tomorrow for the future of the settlements," he said.
At least 1,006 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the Gaza war started, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
During the same period, 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, according to official Israeli figures.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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