Israel DM allows release of settler convicted of torching Palestinian property

Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has authorised the early release of a settler convicted of terrorism, cutting his sentence short by three months.

The settler, Itiel Ben Tsurya, participated in violent acts with others, including torching Palestinian property in Yatma village, south of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank and carrying out assaults in the village of Jit.

It comes after the far-right minister suspended administrative detention orders against Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians, enabling them to evade prosecution. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian authorities and human rights groups, who warn it could encourage further violence.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Katz’s decision, stating it will “encourage supremacist settlers to commit acts of terrorism against Palestinians and their properties, escalate crimes, and further foster their impunity.”

The ministry described the arrests of settlers as “token gestures” and demanded effective international action to curb settler violence and protect Palestinians.

Israeli rights NGO Peace Now denounced the suspension of administrative detention for settlers as a “cynical and reckless move that whitewashes and normalises Jewish terrorism under the cover of war.”

Israel has long been accused of maintaining a two-tiered legal system for those living in the occupied West Bank; with one set of laws for Jewish-Israelis under criminal law and another for Palestinians, who are tried under military laws.

Israeli occupation forces have arrested 12,100 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since they launched the war on Gaza on 7 October 2023, a prisoners’ rights group said.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club pointed out that the figure does not include Palestinians detained in Gaza, which are estimated in the thousands.

All parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem are witnessing raids and incursions into villages and towns by the occupation forces and illegal Jewish settlers. All of Israel’s settlements and the settlers who live in them are illegal under international law. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) reiterated this in July and ruled that the Israeli occupation must end.

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