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Benjamin Netanyahu Condemns Settler Violence in West Bank Villages While Seeking to Protect Broader Settlement Project

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the criminal acts of violence committed by a handful of rioters in the villages of Qusra and Jalud. During a weekend of coordinated settler attacks, dozens of rioters barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home in Qusra, throwing stones at the residents for an hour. While the Israeli military used proportionate force and fired tear gas, the security forces did not announce any arrests as of Sunday evening. President Isaac Herzog described the incidents as a flagrant defiance of the laws and values of the State of Israel. However, the administration's public condemnation of the rioters contrasts with the ongoing systematic expansion of settlements. The government recently approved 54 new settlements and 86 new outposts in the West Bank, while allocating 400 million shekels to the Ministry of Settlement and National Missions. Netanyahu stated that the international media exaggerates the issue and that the rioters do not represent the entire settler community. He emphasized that the security forces are working to hold the rioters accountable while the government continues to fund and legalize the settlement movement.

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