British Foreign Minister David Lammy said the rampage of settlers on Thursday, in a West Bank Palestinian village was abhorrent. ""The scenes overnight of the burning and the torching of buildings, of the Molotov cocktails thrown at cars... and chasing of people from their homes is abhorrent, and I condemn it in the strongest of terms," he said in a press conference in Jerusalem.
Over 100 settlers rampaged through the village of Jatt burning homes and cars until they were dispersed by troops. One man was killed and another suffered serious injury in the attack which was condemned by Israeli leaders across the political divide.
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Aftermath of an attack by Jewish settlers on a Palestinian West Bank village
(Photo: Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP)
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne also condemned the attack. "We condemn this situation," said Sejourne, speaking alongside his British counterpart.
Security officials said the nationalistic crimes in the West Bank have increased since the start of the war and were becoming more violent. "There are weapons, some of them provided to settlers in the illegal outposts and some to settlers who are serving in the military," one official said.
The official said weapons were provided out of great concern for the security of the Jewish settlers at the start of the war. "Only after a few months and a number of incidents, were weapons removed from people who were considered dangerous."
Military and Shin Bet officials have warned of the growing violent tread as Jewish terror increases amid a slow and ineffective police response. "We are seeing Jewish terrorism transition from small groups to organized command centers that coordinate the activity of dozens of operatives who carry out violent attacks, under an organized hierarchy," the official said.
"The writing was on the wall. This behavior that is now in the hilltops of the West Bank, will seep into Israel soon."