Netanyahu orders some West Bank outposts removed, amid US pressure over settler attacks
Not clear when move was ordered or will be carried out; 2 settlers arrested over Qusra violence, as High Court, considering separate attack, says phenomenon violates Israeli, Jewish principles of justice; IDF raids Hamas cell, finds rocket
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered some illegal outposts in the West Bank dismantled, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed on Sunday, amid pressure from the US to crack down on violent settlers.
According to a Reuters report, Netanyahu ordered the evictions in response to Washington’s pressure. The High Court of Justice on Sunday also assailed the government, Israel Defense Forces, and police for their failure to quell the attacks, though two arrests were made over an incident in the Nablus-area Palestinian town of Qusra.
The outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law, as they’re established without all of the necessary permits — however, most of them receive varying degrees of government support and funding, and some have later been formally recognized.
The state has from time to time demolished some outposts, but they are often rebuilt immediately after being demolished, and previous government decisions to crack down on the phenomenon have not been widely enforced.
The Ynet news site reported that Netanyahu’s order targeted around 100 outposts across the West Bank.
Smotrich, asked at a conference in Jerusalem about that report, said Netanyahu had given “an instruction to evict places built in Areas A and B,” referring to parts of the West Bank meant to be under full or partial Palestinian Authority control.
The effort to crack down on Area B outposts, however, was reportedly not new, as it was part of a government decision in April, according to the Ma’ariv outlet.
In addition to the lack of clarity over when the operation was ordered, it was also not immediately clear when it would begin. The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the reports.
Two settlers, including soldier, arrested over Qusra attack
In a rare occurrence, two West Bank settlers, including an 18-year-old IDF soldier from the Jordan Valley, were arrested Sunday on suspicion of taking part in an August 29 attack in Qusra.
The attack, which occurred weeks into a siege by settlers on several homes in Qusra, saw settlers seize a Palestinian home with a family inside.
Officers who searched the car of one of the suspects, a 19-year-old from the northern West Bank, found a knife, a switchblade, and tear gas, according to police.
The two suspects were arrested by police in cooperation with the Shin Bet, and the military police also took part in the arrest of the soldier, police said. Both suspects were taken for interrogation and would later be brought before a judge to have their detention extended.
Another suspect in the Qusra attack who was arrested on Thursday will also be brought before a judge on Monday to have his detention extended, police said.
“The joint investigative team of police and the Shin Bet is continuing efforts to gather evidence and take testimonies to locate and arrest everyone who took part in this serious incident,” police said.
The West Bank has seen near-daily incidents of settler violence and harassment in recent months. Arrests are rare, and critics have accused the government of condoning or even encouraging the attacks.
High Court: Settler attacks ‘completely unacceptable’
The High Court, echoing outrage from others about the phenomenon, lambasted the IDF, Israel Police and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday for failing to tackle the violence.
The court was responding to a case brought by residents of three buildings in the West Bank Palestinian village of Jalud. They have petitioned the court to enable them to return safely to their homes, which extremist settlers besieged in July, setting up an illegal outpost and violently expelling them.
“This is a completely unacceptable phenomenon that stands in contrast to the basic values and moral principles of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and in contrast to the principles of liberty, fairness, and justice of Jewish heritage and the [biblical] prophets of Israel,” the court said in a decision signed by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, and Justices Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher.
The justices added that extremist settler violence and the failure to tackle it also harm Israel’s image internationally as a state that respects the rule of law.
The court took the IDF and police to task for failing to act effectively to enable the residents to return to their homes in Jalud in safety, and demanded answers to specific and granular questions regarding the case. Those questions included how security forces have worked to prosecute the perpetrators and how they are working to prevent future attacks on Jalud.
The court further ordered the IDF and police to enable the residents to return to their homes in safety within 14 days, to provide them with protection when they return, and to enable them to bring in the necessary equipment and materials for fixing the homes and utilities damaged in the attack.
The court also issued a conditional order in the case, putting the burden of proof on the IDF and police to actively demonstrate how they are implementing the court’s orders.
IDF probing troops who seemed to eject Palestinian from vehicle
The IDF said it was investigating troops who allegedly ejected a Palestinian man out of the back of a military vehicle in the West Bank.
Footage Saturday from al-Mughayyir showed an IDF “David” vehicle closing its rear door after the Palestinian man had apparently dropped out of it. The man was seen lying on the ground as the army vehicle drove off.
In response to the footage, the army said that “the conduct of the troops toward the suspect and the person recorded in the video is being investigated.”
It added that troops were in the village following reports of a suspected explosive device and a stone barrier placed on a road.
שבת קודש.
אל-מוע'ייר, נפת רמאללה ואל-בירה.אחרי שעוכב, נחקר והוכה – חיילים השליכו פלסטיני מרכב צבאי והמשיכו לדרכם.
ואל תטרידו את "טובי בנינו" בשאלות על מוסר, קוד אתי או שבועת הרופא. pic.twitter.com/J6gOr5WdkC— מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים (@Mistaclim) September 5, 2026
Troops find rocket amid raid on Hamas cell in Aqqaba
In the village of Aqqaba, meanwhile, a rocket was found by Israeli forces during a raid against a Hamas cell, the police and military said.
Officers of the police’s elite Yamam unit and IDF troops had raided the village following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet on a Hamas network in the area.
During the raid, the police and military said the Yamam officers and IDF soldiers apprehended 10 Hamas operatives. At one location, the Yamam officers located a rocket without a launcher, the statement said.
One of the detained Hamas operatives also led the forces to several more weapons, including an assault rifle and a large amount of explosive material, according to the IDF and police.
The suspects were taken for Shin Bet questioning, and the weapons, including the rocket, were destroyed at the scene by police sappers, the statement added.
In recent years, there have been several attempts by Palestinian terror groups to develop and launch crude rockets from the West Bank at Israeli settlements and at Israel, though with little to no success.