Police arrest settler teen suspected of clubbing dog during West Bank raid
16-year-old had been on the run since the attack last month; police say they won’t tolerate ‘any displays of violence’ against people or animals
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Police on Wednesday arrested a teenage boy suspected of repeatedly clubbing a guard dog during a settler raid on the Palestinian village of Atara, near Ramallah, last month.
In a statement, police said the suspect, 16, from the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, had been on the run since the attack.
The assault on the animal came to light after footage was circulated on social media.
The suspect was set to appear in court on Wednesday, where police would request an extension to his detention.
A resident of Atara told The Times of Israel last month that the dog survived the attack.
“The Israel Police will act with zero tolerance against any displays of violence against humans… and against animals,” police said in a statement announcing the arrest.
“As in this case, we will act decisively to arrest those involved in these cases. This is a serious and unacceptable offense. The police take cases of this type very seriously and work resolutely to bring those involved to justice,” the statement added.
Critics accuse the government and law enforcement of turning a blind eye to violent attacks by settler extremists, which have become increasingly deadly in recent years and occur on a near-daily basis. Arrests are rare, and prosecutions are even less common.
Settlers have also been documented stealing or slaughtering livestock belonging to Palestinians.
A similar incident occurred last week, when a young settler was filmed repeatedly striking a dog during a settler raid on a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank.
The footage showed the young man — wearing a tzitzit religious garment and black hoodie with Hebrew writing — hitting a watchdog in the Khirbet a-Rakiz herding hamlet.
The Israel Police said in a statement that it opened an investigation into the incident, adding that officers arrived at the scene, took testimonies from residents, and worked to locate the suspect.
The military recorded 867 incidents of nationalistic crime and settler violence against Palestinians in 2025, compared to 682 incidents in 2024.
The Times of Israel Community.