Israeli UN envoy hits back at ‘settler violence’ accusations while IDF evacuates illegal outpost that 'besieged' Palestinian home

During a UN Security Council briefing on Tuesday, Israel’s envoy at the United Nations pushed back strongly against allegations of “rising settler violence” in Judea and Samaria and the claims that the Israeli government supports such accusations.

The briefing was requested by Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and the UK over what they described as “escalating Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.”

Israel Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also stressed the efforts by security forces to curb Jewish violence. The issue was highlighted the following day when the IDF evacuated an unauthorized settlement outpost in Samaria, leading to clashes with radical settler activists.

Danon said that, even with a rise in incidents, most violent attacks come from Palestinian terrorists, which are never condemned by the international entities in the same manner.

“This May, there were 348 Palestinian terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria. Eight pipe bomb attacks, 282 stone-throwing incidents, 32 fire bomb attacks, 24 arson incidents and two serious car ramming attacks,” he said, noting the increase compared to the 325 recorded attacks in April. Another 400 attacks were reportedly thwarted by Israeli security forces before they could be carried out.

“How many of you have condemned these terrorist attacks against Jews? None of these numbers were reported by the briefers, and none of these attacks were mentioned by any of you,” Danon said. “This is the bias we are confronting today.”

He also highlighted the ramped-up law enforcement against Jewish extremism in the area, noting that authorities opened 354 investigations and arrested 35 extremists in the first quarter of 2026. One hundred and sixteen incidents of extremism were registered in June, down from 165 in March, Danon said. “We condemn this violence. We prosecute these crimes. We hold perpetrators accountable,” he stressed.

On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces began evacuating another illegal outpost after condemning it with unusually harsh language a day earlier.

However, the IDF has recently been criticized for waiting nearly two days before taking action against an illegal tent placed on an access road to a home in a Palestinian village, preventing residents from leaving the house.

The military said it received a report regarding “Israeli civilians entering and taking control of Palestinian homes and land in the areas of Qusra and Jalud," adding, "This is illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable activity that harms the residents of the areas and disrupts their daily lives.”

Responding to reports that IDF soldiers were seen supporting and praying with the extremists on the scene, the IDF said that, “should it be determined that IDF reservists or active-duty soldiers are involved in such incidents, they will face disciplinary action.”

On Wednesday morning, troops of the IDF and the Border Police arrived to dismantle the outpost. The IDF reported several senior officers, including the chief of the IDF Central Command, Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, had “toured the area of Qusra and the nearby outposts this morning and spoke with the Palestinian family residing there, who informed them that the house has electricity and water infrastructure.”

המצור בקוסרה: פורעים יהודים חוסמים את הדרכים עם אבנים@HGoldich pic.twitter.com/yGuN6JVMpY

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 12, 2026

Senior IDF commanders toured the Qusra area and nearby outposts in the West Bank, where they met with a Palestinian family and found Israeli civilians staying in a tent erected in Area B, a closed military zone. Border Police forces evacuated the tent and are working to evacuate the civilians present,” the IDF said, amid media reports that the civilians attacked the soldiers.

"The commanders expressed grave concern over actions carried out by Israeli civilians against the Palestinian family and ordered disciplinary measures be taken moving forward. It was further decided that disciplinary action would be taken against the security personnel involved, who were documented at the site several days ago.”

The IDF stated that security forces will continue to operate to uphold law and order, and prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

According to Kan News, dozens of Jewish extremists arrived at the scene and threw stones and rocks onto the access street to continue the “siege” on the Palestinian family.

Settler activists have established 13 new outposts that are illegal under Israeli law since the fatal attack that killed two Israelis in the village of Tell last month. Two of them were demolished by the military and police in the past 24 hours.