Palestinian official warns settler violence risks ‘explosion’ in West Bank, urges ‘peaceful confrontation’ in response

By AFP Today, 7:54 pm

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Jibril Rajoub arrives to attend a football match between Jabal Al-Mukaber and Shabab Al-Khalil teams during the 'Thousand Martyrs’ Cup' tournament at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in the West Bank city of Al-Ram, September 4, 2026. (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP)

Israeli settler attacks risk setting off an “explosion” in the West Bank, a senior Palestinian leader told AFP, while urging that the response remain peaceful.

Jibril Rajoub, the secretary general of the central committee of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah faction, says he called for “peaceful confrontation” as he took part in meetings in Cairo with other Palestinian movements, including Gaza-based rival Hamas, the terror group responsible for the October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel.

“The terrorism carried out by the army and settlers, under the supervision of the Israeli government… is a prelude to a coming reaction and explosion,” Rajoub tells AFP in Cairo.

But he says that a “peaceful, nonviolent struggle is a necessity and a strategic choice for all Palestinians.”

“Bloodshed is no longer an acceptable option,” he says, calling for “peaceful confrontation with the occupation, despite the crimes it commits.”

Settlers have carried out daily physical attacks, thefts, and other attacks against Palestinians, with the violence intensifying in the run-up to the October 27 election.

Violence has picked up as extremist settlers seek to stop the Palestinian olive harvest, an annual season with cultural resonance for the community.

The talks in Cairo come after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who has ruled since he was elected for a four-year term in 2005, delayed elections slated to start next month until September 2027.

Rajoub says the talks called for “unified political representation,” with the principle of a “single authority” and “only one legitimate armed force.”