U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern on Wednesday that the latest spate of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank could spill over and undermine U.S.-backed peace efforts in Gaza.
"I hope not," Rubio told reporters after a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Canada, when asked whether the West Bank events could endanger the Gaza ceasefire. "We don't expect it to. We'll do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen."
The concern comes as security forces and government officials are grappling with a surge in incidents of extremist settler violence in the West Bank, described by the IDF as crossing a red line. In one major incident, about 100 masked Jewish rioters raided a Palestinian factory in the town of Beit Lid east of Tulkarm on Tuesday, set fire to vehicles and attacked soldiers – acts IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir publicly condemned as “criminal behavior by a fringe minority that tarnishes an entire law‑abiding public.”
The military says that the settling of such violence is undermining its ability to focus on broader security and counter‑terrorism tasks, and diverting resources from primary defense missions. One officer told troops: “We will not accept a situation in which lawbreakers harm property and innocent people, destabilize Judea and Samaria and divert the army’s focus from defense and counter‑terrorism.”
Senior IDF and command officers say the wave of extremist settler attacks is accelerating. In the first half of 2025, the army recorded 440 “nationalist crime” incidents in the West Bank, a 39 % increase compared with the same period in 2024.
Among cited motivations: retaliation for the release of convicted Palestinian terrorists under the hostages deal and for the demolition of illegal outposts.
Settlers torching vehicles near Beit Lid, West Bank
In response, the IDF is pressing for sharper legal and operational tools to curb the trend. The commander of its Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, in closed discussions, demanded expanded powers, including heavier fines, new regulations to allow troops to detain masked suspects and seizing vehicles used in the attacks. He also cited concerns that some of the illegal outposts continue to be rebuilt, sometimes with overseas funding, effectively enabling repeat incidents with little consequence.
The unsettled security picture in the West Bank comes as Israel is simultaneously preparing for large‑scale exercises to simulate West Bank terrain operations. The IDF last week concluded the Lion’s Roar exercise in the region, involving two divisions for the first time and about 180 aircraft, simulating attacks on outposts, infiltration from the Jordan border, combat in built‑up areas and other complex scenarios — all shaping lessons from the October 7 assault.