Settlers said to torch vehicle, spray graffiti in attack on West Bank village

Israeli settlers allegedly torched a vehicle and sprayed graffiti in a West Bank village near Ramallah on Tuesday night, according to Palestinian media.

The suspected crime took place in Ein Yabrud, northeast of Ramallah.

Images showed graffiti reading “Stop persecuting Jews” and “Avi Bluth don’t mess with us.” That statement refers to the commander of the IDF’s Central Command, who has recently denounced the settler violence that has spiked in recent months.

Police were expected to investigate the incident. There were no immediate reports of arrests, and there has been little effective enforcement against settler violence.

Settler attacks against Palestinians have been escalating in recent months, especially coinciding with the annual olive harvest, which began in October. In that time, settlers, and sometimes soldiers, have carried out near-daily violence against olive pickers, as well as Palestinians and their property in general.

The increase in violence prompted security agencies to increase efforts to combat the attacks. Prosecutions of Jewish extremists are rare, however, and convictions are even rarer. Critics have accused the right-wing government of shrugging off the attacks.

A group of Israeli colonists attacked early in the morning the town of Ein Yabrud, east of Ramallah, torching vehicles and spraying racist graffiti. pic.twitter.com/PFmJNgsBOA

— WAFA News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) December 17, 2025

Meanwhile, police said Wednesday that officers had recently arrested another suspect in connection with last month’s large-scale arson attack by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the northern West Bank.

He is suspected of being one of dozens of masked assailants who embarked on a rampage in the Beit Lid area, setting fire to cars, destroying buildings and attacking Palestinian residents with clubs and stones.

The suspect was detained by IDF troops alongside two others shortly after the attack. The soldiers handcuffed the three and loaded them into a military vehicle, but the vehicle came under attack by rioting settlers, who managed to free him and another of the suspects.

Police said Wednesday that a special task force in the West Bank District, which was established last month to combat Jewish nationalist violence, has been conducting an “intensive investigation” to track down the suspect. He was located and arrested Monday after a month on the run.

The suspect was brought to court Tuesday and will remain in custody until Thursday.

Last month, prosecutors filed terror charges against another suspected perpetrator of the arson attack, who is still in custody awaiting trial. He was indicted on charges of arson, aggravated sabotage, malicious damage and intentional sabotage of a vehicle.

مصادر محلية: مليشيات المستوطنين تهاجم بلدة عين يبرود شرق رام الله فجر اليوم، وتحرق مركبات وتخط شعارات معادية. pic.twitter.com/vZJS6YhstF

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) December 17, 2025

The IDF has recorded more than 752 incidents of Jewish nationalistic crime and settler violence since the start of the year. The total for 2024 was 675 incidents.

Violence has soared in the West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, nearly 1,000 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time.

The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or terrorists carrying out attacks.

During the same period, 63 civilians and Israeli security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another eight members of the security forces were killed in clashes during raids in Palestinian cities in the West Bank.