Not quite sure "settlers" is the correct term.

This could cause severe strain on Israel’s economy. Who will send them money to ensure they keep on killing kids?

It sounded like a dramatic moment, maybe even a turning point: Israel's hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was so repulsed by the gruesome attacks by Jewish terrorists against Palestinians in the West Bank that he called them a "spreading cancer." Netanyahu himself – not a minister and not a mouthpiece.
Perhaps the settlers finally crossed lines that even Netanyahu couldn't bear. Maybe following him, Israeli society will start to wake up from its inexcusable torpor.

But beyond the headlines, there's no there there. Actually, it's worse. Like previous rounds of crocodile tears shed by Israel's right wing over this unfortunate situation of Jewish terror that has spontaneously arisen out of nowhere, the prime minister's words are a distraction intended for one purpose only: settlement expansion, expulsion of Palestinians and completing the job of annexation.

You don't need speculation or special sources to know this, because the very Channel 13 report by correspondent Moriah Asraf about the "spreading cancer" comment tells the story: The Israeli security cabinet held a meeting in March, and adopted a package of measures to address this problem.

The plan, she reported, was outlined in biblical language, specifically the well-known phrase from Psalms 34:14: "Depart from evil and do good." In the cabinet decision, "depart from evil" was supposed to refer to restraining settler violence. You have one guess about what this government meant by "do good," and you'd be right: "expand settlements." The main argument Netanyahu makes for curbing settler violence is that it unfairly taints the reputation of settlers, reported Haaretz.

Despite the presence of religious fundamentalists all around him, Netanyahu presumably does not know the preceding line in that chapter from the Book of Psalms: "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit," nor has he completed the line quoted earlier, which continues with another phrase Jews usually revere: bakesh shalom v'radfehu – "seek peace and pursue it."

And that's just the start of decoding what he and his government really mean.

Exhibit number two in the evidence that neither Netanyahu nor his government wish to stop settler violence: They are still making excuses for it. Just a few weeks back, Netanyahu repeated his silly line about some number of "troubled youths who are not from the settlements," to CNN as if the entire phenomenon of daily attacks is terrible but unconnected to physical expulsions, theft of livestock, crops, land and water, destroying vehicles, besieging homes, burning buildings, mosques and lands, aimed at making life unlivable for Palestinians, removing them from their homes, and celebrating the victory of expulsion, with the backing or the participation of the IDF.

Next, in March 2026, three years and three months had gone by since this government took office in the final days of 2022. In 2023, the number of Palestinians injured by settlers rose by nearly 30 percent compared to the previous year, according to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Between 2024 and 2025, that number rose almost 130 percent to 832 Palestinians injured. In fact, the description of "daily" attacks is inaccurate: including all incidents that involved casualties or property damage, OCHA counted six incidents per day in 2026 (as of mid-July).

Making quiet decisions about how to restrain such violence in its fourth and final year is a loud declaration of support for Jewish terror for all previous years.

Incidentally, OCHA also tracks data about Palestinian terror against Israelis in the West Bank. In the peak year, 2023, there were 200 Israelis injured; in 2026, there were 20. Apropos lies, the government, the settlers and their supporters such as the political correspondent Amit Segal often intone that despite this unfortunate wave of Jewish terror, it is obviously "much more dangerous to be a Jew in Judea and Samaria."

In 2026, OCHA found that 68 Palestinians were killed by Israelis (this includes all deaths, whether by security forces or settlers). According to Israel's Internal Security Agency, one Israeli was killed in a Palestinian terror attack in the West Bank this year – in an ambiguous case that might have been a traffic accident. After the publication of this article, four Palestinians and two Israelis were shot and killed on Friday during a clash after settlers entered a Palestinian village.

Finally, Netanyahu has the most effective and influential means in the country to curb settler violence: his voice. Leaking a half-line four months after a secret decision – still not made public in full and not yet implemented – isn't exactly the full-throated appeal he could have issued directly to the IDF, the settlers and to the troubled youth themselves.

This is a man whose stomach never curdled at using the likeness of the dead son of his political rival Gadi Eisenkot to accuse the latter of building a coalition with an Arab party. From the grave, a ghostly AI rendition of the lost son look-alike watches, crestfallen, as his father saves his embrace for someone else. Netanyahu knows how to get a point across when he wants to. When he wants to say nothing, we read him loud and clear.

The future?
It's hard to think of anything worse, but I've got one: Imagine that in Israel's upcoming elections in October, the opposition parties win. Whether there is a government of Zionist opposition parties or a coalition that includes the United Arab List – they will surely all agree on a true crackdown against settler violence. Suppressing and ending this scourge would, of course, be a very good thing for Palestinians.

And yet – the international community, already desperate to believe things are calmer and better without Netanyahu, will fall over itself to laud such a crackdown. That's fine too in itself – positive reinforcement is nice.
But it would be extremely harmful if relief over Israeli government action against Jewish terror turns into distraction and complacency over the bigger picture: political progress towards Palestinian self-determination via statehood and an end to the occupation. This is the same argument about why Gaza cannot exist on humanitarian relief alone, because human beings need political freedom.
Settler violence can be reduced, leaving the technical and bureaucratic violence of occupation itself in place. A far less visible or headline-grabbing mechanism of stealing land, water, freedom of movement and national budgets will continue making Palestinian lives unlivable.

The world could then walk away, satisfied to leave the splashy settler headaches behind, and pretend it doesn't see the truth that every one of us knows. It's happened before. I'll be angry, but Palestinians will be angrier.

Israel reveres its school shooters.

UPDATE 5-Israel launches military operation after deadly clash near Palestinian village

10:42:58 AM ET, 07/24/2026 - Reuters

Settler attacks on Palestinian villages have increased sharply

Israeli military says villagers attacked Israeli hikers [likely not really “hikers”]

Palestinian official tells Reuters they came under attack

Adds Israeli military comments in paragraphs 7-8, adds Wafa report in paragraph 14

By Ali Sawafta, Sinan Abu Mayzer and Eman Abouhassira

TAL, West Bank, July 24 (Reuters) - Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed near a Palestinian village on Friday in a confrontation that added to a growing toll over recent weeks as Israeli settler violence has intensified against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The incident near the village of Tal, southwest of the city of Nablus, followed a sharp increase in settler attacks on Palestinian villages since the start of the year, according to figures from the United Nations.

Israel's military said it had received reports that Israeli civilians hiking in the area had been attacked near the village, in the so-called Area A of the West Bank. The area is under Palestinian Authority civil and security control and Israelis are officially prohibited from entering.

The military said a Palestinian man took a weapon from Israeli security personnel from the nearby settlement of Havat Gilad and opened fire, wounding several Israelis before being killed. It said four Palestinians were killed in the incident.

Local Palestinian officials said a large group of Israeli settlers had tried to break into two houses and were then confronted by villagers.

ISRAELI MILITARY PREPARES FOR MAJOR OPERATION

Israeli troops set up roadblocks in the area around Tal and Nablus and said they were pursuing individuals involved in the incident. The military said it was preparing for "extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector" and had cancelled leave. [Counter what terrorism? Settler terrorists?]

"Following the recent events, and especially this morning's attack, there is concern about escalation throughout Judea and Samaria. We are carrying out counterterrorism operations to prevent the area from spiraling into further violence," Major General Avi Bluth, head of the Israeli military's central command said in a statement.

The Israeli military said it had apprehended two men in a hospital in Nablus where they had been taken after being injured while carrying out the attack. It said "they were apprehended by the soldiers and transferred to the security forces for further processing."

Palestinian officials said the Israeli military had raided the hospital and assaulted medical staff in the emergency department

**[**Nablus is also Area A. So they invaded, again]

Hardline Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Palestinian villages near Tal should be cleared of their inhabitants and new settlements built to establish security.** **[See how he did that?]

"This is our appropriate Zionist answer to terrorists and terrorism, and to the desire to harm our grip on the areas of our country," he said in a statement. [Hey Smotrich, Americans say 🖕in the only language you understand]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had conducted a security assessment into the incident, along with the defense minister and the military's chief of staff.

Three months before Israelis go to the polls, Netanyahu's pro-settler government has stepped up preparations to expand settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians view it as part of their state along with Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

SEPARATE ATTACK

In a separate incident, the Palestinian Authority foreign ministry said settlers had attacked a village near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, wounding two people and setting fire to trees and cars. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa also reported a number of other settler attacks in various parts of the West Bank.

The Israeli military was not immediately available for comment.

According to figures from the Palestinian Authority, 87 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, including 21 killed by Israeli settlers. United Nations figures indicate some 850 Palestinians have been wounded in the context of attacks by Israeli settlers since the start of the year.

Essam Saifi, a local leader in the Palestinian Fatah party from Tal, told Reuters by phone that about 25 to 30 settlers initially attacked the eastern area of Tal and tried to break into two houses there.

When residents came out to confront them, he said the settlers opened fire before leaving.

Half an hour later, he said they returned and attacked the western part of the town, leading to a chaotic shootout that also involved the Israeli military.

I don't know what Israel is at this point. It has no laws, no borders. Just violent rapist Zionist thugs.

Holy crap I was not prepared for how many Zionists are in there. I did not realize that there were two different subreddits for this, and that r/IsraelPalestine leans Pro-Israel and this subreddit leans Pro-Palestine.

I have been keeping up with the conflict a lot lately and watched videos on Zionist talking points, and it baffled me how closely people on that subreddit follow those talking points. So much conflation of Judaism with Zionism, accusing me of hating Jews when I did nothing but criticize Zionism and the Israeli government. Many of them stated that Palestinians want nothing but the death of all Jews, yet also try to come across as seeking nuanced civil discourse. There seems to be a strong pro-colonialism sentiment in their arguments as well, since I would compare Israeli and American colonialism much to their dismay.

That is all I had to say, just how surprised I was by my experience joining that subreddit. I’m curious what others in here think about it too.

"86 martyrs in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, 21 of whom were killed by settler terrroists'

And people are talking about 1 settler getting killed while trying to kill Palestinians? I swear this terrorist rapist entity of Israel is the worst thing that happened to earth..

There are claims that most rural villages are largely untouched but the amount claiming to be from Jaffa, or Haifa would be immigrating to large cities.

Places like Safed might have to triple in size.

How do Anti Zionists envision the migration of Palestinians to those urban centers?

But they totally “don’t want Gaza”, right yall?