World
Settlers attack Palestinians and activists near Hebron, vandalize vehicles
A group of Palestinian farmers from the Hebron-area town of Halhul in the West Bank and activists from the Bnei Avraham organization who were protecting them were attacked by a group of some 10 settlers on Monday, an activist from Bnei Avraham told The Times of Israel.
The activist, who asked not to be named, said that around 30 Palestinians and activists had arrived to work on privately owned Palestinian farmland near Halhul. The farmland is located in Area C, where Israel maintains both security and civilian control.
The activist said that the settlers who initially descended on them were from a nearby outpost, and were later joined by others from additional outposts in the area.
The group assaulted the Palestinians and activists, punching and kicking them, she recounted, before vandalizing five Palestinian vehicles, smashing their windows and mirrors, and slashing their tires.
She further said that, following the violent incident, IDF troops arrived at the scene and presented an order declaring the area a closed military zone, before removing the Palestinians and activists from the area.
Local residents are supposed to be exempt from closed military zone orders, and the one wielded by the troops had been issued to evacuate the nearby illegal outpost, not the Palestinian farmland.
הממשלה מממנת את הטרור היהודי
לפני זמן קצר מתנחלים קיצונים השחיתו רכבים של פלסטינים שלוו על ידי פעילי קבוצת הנוכחות המגינה ״בני אברהם״ ליד חלחול.
הצבא הגיע, הכריז על שטח צבאי סגור, סילק את הפעילים והשאיר את המתנחלים בשטח. אחרי שהצבא הלך, המתנחלים חזרו להתנכל לפעילים.
ממש… pic.twitter.com/AwZWp7cg2M
— גלעד קריב (@KarivGilad) June 15, 2026
The Bnei Avraham activists and Palestinians filed a complaint with police over the incident.
The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Elsewhere in the West Bank on Monday, settlers were reported to have destroyed dozens of privately owned olive trees near Bethlehem.
A local source told the Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news agency that the settlers descended on an olive grove owned by a resident of Kisan, a village east of Bethlehem, and damaged around 50 trees.
Settlers have increasingly targeted Kisan in acts of violence in recent weeks, Wafa reported, and shepherds from the village have previously been attacked.
Violent attacks by settlers are a daily occurrence in the West Bank, with extremists assaulting Palestinians, torching their cars, damaging their property, and stealing their livestock without fear of repercussion.
Arrests in cases of settler violence are rare, and convictions are even less common. The IDF has faced criticism for often standing by and failing to prosecute perpetrators, or even for actively participating in the rampages.
In contrast, the military frequently arrests Palestinians who confront the settler violence with violence of their own.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
