On some of the settlers – Amos Harel in Haaretz:

‘Amidst all the terrible commotion, we mustn’t for a moment ignore what is happening in the West Bank. Security personnel following the developments there describe a deliberate effort by settlers – and not just the most extreme and violent ones – to take over territories, chase Palestinians away, and terrorize the residents of the West Bank, in a manner which may ignite a more severe conflict there as well.
The sources say this is a broad, planned and organized operation, in which residents of illegal outposts also participate with sporadic and independent operations. The Civil Administration does not sufficiently document and report events, raising suspicions about a conspiracy of silence on the matter among IDF brass. Some actively collaborate in this effort, and others turn a blind eye and refrain from confrontations.
Among the actions done are the paving of roads around settlements, connecting them to outposts and relatively new ranches. Some of the routes are paved by the IDF, though most are paved independently by the settlers. There is an organized move to run Palestinians off their lands through threats and violence, in the Susya area of the South Hebron Hills, among other areas. There is a noticeable uptick in displays of violence: The uprooting of hundreds of olive trees (in the Tulkarm area), arson, vandalism, and shootings (in the Yitzhar area). Concurrently, new illegal outposts have been established: Two near Peduel in the Ariel area, one in the Shiloh Valley north of Ramallah and one in the Jordan Valley. All these may seem like minuscule matters compared to the horrific massacre in the Gaza border area or the hard fighting in Gaza. But these incident have the potential to cause a deterioration in the West Bank, turning into another front that will pin down resources and troops the IDF needs in more urgent and critical theaters.
The security establishment says that they plan to issue more administrative detention orders for extreme operatives (one has already been issued). Border Police troops are being beefed up in areas of friction between Palestinians and settlers, and the Shin Bet has entered the picture more actively. And yet, there is a powder keg here, threatening to explode. The state must respond more harshly, despite the presence of the hilltop youth’s delegates in the government and security cabinet.’

Read the article here.

The violence of some of the settlers is a huge problem. It’s driven by Messianism that will sooner or later turn out to be suicidal. Leaving the moral aspects aside.

That this suicidal Messianism had entered the government and even the security cabinet is a potential recipe for more disasters. Netanyahu is (also) responsible for this diaster.

These settlers will help to dismantle the PA and bring Hamas to the West Bank, where Hamas is already extremely popular. But since Ramallah is a five-star prison (Amira Hass in an interview in 2006) the Fatah-elite has some reasons to ignore the provocation and the pogroms ignited by some of the settlers.

But we know, especially after October 7, that not everybody can be bought with a warm blanket and other sorts of comfort.