US delegation rebukes senior Israeli official over ‘escalating and serious’ settler violence in West Bank

An American delegation visiting Tel Aviv on Tuesday strongly reprimanded a senior Israeli official during a meeting on settler violence in the occupied West Bank, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

The delegation includes members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, advisers to senior US officials and professional teams, the channel said.

The delegation members told a senior official in Israel’s security establishment, whom they did not name: “We are defending you in every way and under difficult conditions, when the entire world is against you,” but stressed that “your response cannot be acts of violence, looting, and attempts to harm the Palestinians.”

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During the meeting, which focused on settler violence, they added: “Do not take American support for granted when you allow these actions to continue. It will come back to you through the back door. How can you not understand this yourself?”   

The occupied West Bank has seen a rise in settler attacks and Israeli military operations since the outbreak of the Israeli war in Gaza in October 2023, alongside an expansion of settlement activity and restrictions on Palestinian movement.

According to the channel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security meeting on Monday with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other officials to discuss settler violence in the West Bank, following a US request.

The channel did not identify the Israeli official who was reprimanded, and there was no immediate Israeli comment on the report.

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