IDF chief Zamir slams Jewish settler riots against Palestinians: 'IDF won't tolerate criminal minority tarnishing law-abiding majority'

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir strongly condemned the recent attacks carried out by Jews against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria (internationally known as the West Bank) on Wednesday.

“The IDF will not tolerate the actions of a criminal minority that tarnishes a law-abiding public. These acts go against our values, they cross a red line, and they divert the troops’ attention from their main mission — defending the settlements and carrying out offensive operations. We are determined to stop this phenomenon and will act firmly until justice is served,” said Zamir.

Earlier in the day, senior IDF officials commented on an incident in which Jewish assailants set fire to vehicles and a factory in a Palestinian village in the West Bank.

They described the “Hilltop Youth” as: “An anarchist fringe — barn burners, reckless troublemakers without parental guidance who need intervention from welfare authorities.”

One senior officer added that a hilltop youth who burns down a house with its inhabitants inside is a Jewish terrorist.

According to IDF Central Command, while in the past there were about 200 hilltop youths, their numbers have since grown. In October 2025, there were 86 nationalist crime incidents in the West Bank — a sharp rise compared to the previous olive harvest season, when there were only 25 such incidents.

The IDF stated that it is acting firmly within its legal limits, alongside the police and Shin Bet, warning that the growing violence could deteriorate the security situation in the West Bank and divert security forces from counterterrorism operations.

Because Defense Minister Israel Katz decided not to sign administrative detention orders anymore, Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth has, in recent months, issued about 30 restraining and restriction orders against far-right activists and hilltop youth under his own authority.

Central Command also plans to expand the IDF’s toolkit for dealing with settler violence — including investigating the funding sources behind illegal outposts and imposing financial penalties under the law. Officials noted that some of the hilltop youth receive legal advice and remain silent during questioning, making it difficult to file indictments against them.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, speaking on Kan Reshet Bet Radio, said that “These are not youths from the settlements, but kids with authority and discipline issues.”

He argued that they should be educated, not punished: “They’re not terrorists — they’re our children.”

Eliyahu refused to label their actions as terrorism, insisting that only Palestinian violence qualifies as terror: “Terror means seeking to destroy the State of Israel; when it’s a misguided youth, we need to educate and bring him back.”

MK Michal Waldiger, interviewed on Kan Radio’s morning show, also addressed the violence, in which masked Jewish rioters set fire to a factory and injured four Palestinians, even attacking IDF soldiers who tried to restore order.

She described the perpetrators as “wonderful, idealistic youth, some of them at-risk teens,” adding: “We must give them support so they don’t fall into crime. Many are from families hurt by the release of terrorists. Israel doesn’t do enough for at-risk youth like them.”

Immediately after, MK Merav Ben Ari condemned both the attacks and Waldiger’s remarks: “Calling them ‘at-risk youth’ is an insult to truly at-risk kids.”

She criticized the government for failing to condemn the violence: “These youths feel protected by the government. When one minister hands out snacks to them and the defense minister cancels administrative detentions even though field commanders demand them — that’s the ‘spirit of command.’”

Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, meanwhile, backed the soldiers on the ground, saying: “The situation in which anarchist fringe youths act violently against innocent civilians and security forces is intolerable and extremely serious. Addressing this requires the combined efforts of all state institutions — education, welfare, law enforcement, and justice.”

He added: “These severe incidents — which by sheer luck have not resulted in deaths — undermine regional stability. IDF troops are instructed not to stand by and to do everything possible to prevent nationalist crime. We’ll do so hand in hand with the police and the Shin Bet — that’s the only way to eradicate it.”

Bluth also warned that the violence diverts vital attention and resources from Israel’s security missions: “Our soldiers — regulars and reservists alike — who have fought the enemy across multiple fronts with dedication, now face an unbearable situation where efforts are wasted dealing with anarchists who take the law into their own hands, instead of defending the roads, communities, and thwarting terror. This violence harms the settlements and harms the State of Israel.”

According to Kan News, over the past three weeks, since the start of the olive harvest, more than 50 nationalist crime incidents have been recorded.

By comparison, in the same period in 2024, there were 675 incidents, while in 2025, the number has already reached 704 — an average of about 40 violent incidents per month.

In yesterday’s incident, the rioters also attacked IDF forces who arrived on the scene.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated: “The IDF strongly condemns all forms of violence that divert commanders and soldiers from their missions of defense and counterterrorism.”

Several assailants were arrested and transferred to Israeli police custody for investigation.

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