a known settler who comes to graze livestock, blocks the road, and provokes residents
In the hills of the West Bank, two incidents on the same December day laid bare a pattern that has grown steadily darker since October 2023: a reserve soldier drove an ATV into a Palestinian man at prayer near Deir Jarir, and five settlers from an illegal outpost stoned a home in Sair, injuring an eight-month-old girl. These are not isolated eruptions but data points in a rising tide — over 750 recorded incidents of settler violence this year alone — unfolding against the backdrop of a war that has claimed more than a thousand Palestinian lives in the West Bank and dozens of Israeli ones. The question history will ask is not only who acted, but what structures of accountability, or their absence, made such acts possible.
- A Palestinian man kneeling in roadside prayer was struck by an ATV driven by an armed Israeli reserve soldier, who then dismounted and ordered him to leave — the entire scene captured on video and shared widely.
- The same soldier is alleged to have fired his weapon inside the village of Deir Jarir earlier that day while dressed in civilian clothes, wounding a young Palestinian man in what the IDF itself called a serious breach of authority.
- On the same day, five settlers from a nearby illegal outpost hurled stones at a Palestinian home in Sair, shattering windows and leaving an eight-month-old girl with moderate injuries to her face and head.
- The IDF suspended the soldier's service, confiscated his weapon, and handed the ATV case to police as a criminal matter — but critics note that institutional responses have rarely slowed the broader acceleration of violence.
- Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, recorded settler violence incidents have climbed from 675 in all of 2024 to over 752 in the current year alone, with the human toll on both sides continuing to mount.
A video shared on Thursday showed an Israeli reserve soldier steering an all-terrain vehicle directly into a Palestinian man who was kneeling in prayer beside a road near Deir Jarir, north of Ramallah. The man fell hard. The settler — rifle across his back — dismounted, shouted at him to leave, then confronted a nearby taxi driver before riding away.
The IDF confirmed the man was a reserve soldier, confiscated his weapon, and suspended his service. By Friday, police announced he had been placed under five days of house arrest. But the day held more. A military investigation found the same soldier had also fired his weapon inside the village earlier while in civilian clothes — a serious breach of authority, the IDF said — wounding a young Palestinian man in that earlier incident.
The struck man's father, Majdi Abu Mokho, told AFP his son now suffers pain in both legs. He described the settler as a familiar and threatening presence in the area — someone who had established a nearby outpost and regularly came with others to block roads, graze livestock, and intimidate residents. Abu Mokho added that the settler had also sprayed him with pepper spray, though this was not visible in the footage.
Separately that same day, five Israeli settlers were arrested for stoning a Palestinian home in Sair, north of Hebron. The attack shattered two windows and injured an eight-month-old girl, who sustained moderate injuries to her face and head. Police said the suspects came from a nearby outpost illegal under Israeli law.
The incidents reflect a documented surge in West Bank violence since the Hamas attack of October 2023 triggered the Gaza war. The IDF has recorded over 752 incidents of nationalist crime and settler violence this year, up from 675 for all of 2024. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the war began — the IDF maintains most were combatants or attackers — while 63 Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed in terror attacks during the same period. The military said it condemns all forms of violence and that the ATV case has been referred to police as a criminal matter separate from operational activity in the village.
A video circulating on Thursday showed an Israeli settler in the West Bank driving an all-terrain vehicle directly into a Palestinian man kneeling in prayer beside a road near Deir Jarir, north of Ramallah. The man fell hard. The settler, rifle strapped across his back, dismounted and shouted at him, gesturing for him to leave. He then walked to a nearby Palestinian taxi, yelled at the driver, and rode away.
The IDF confirmed the settler was a reserve soldier. His weapon was confiscated and his service suspended. By Friday, police announced he had been arrested Thursday night and placed under house arrest for five days. But the incident was only part of what unfolded that day. An initial military investigation found the same reserve soldier had also fired his gun inside the village earlier while dressed in civilian clothes—what the IDF called a serious breach of his authority. A young Palestinian man was wounded in that earlier shooting, according to reports.
Majdi Abu Mokho, father of the man struck by the ATV, told AFP his son now has pain in both legs. He described the settler as a known figure in the area who had set up an outpost nearby and regularly came with others to graze livestock, block roads, and provoke residents. Abu Mokho said the settler also sprayed him with pepper spray after hitting his son, though this was not clearly visible in the video.
On the same day, five Israeli settlers were arrested for a separate attack on a Palestinian home in the town of Sair, north of Hebron. They had allegedly thrown stones at the house, shattering two windows and injuring an eight-month-old girl. The infant sustained moderate injuries to her face and head, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Police said the five suspects came from a nearby outpost—a settlement illegal under Israeli law.
These incidents are part of a broader pattern. Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 triggered the Gaza war, violence in the West Bank has surged dramatically. The IDF has recorded more than 752 incidents of nationalist crime and settler violence so far this year, compared to 675 for all of 2024. Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the war began, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry. The IDF contends most were gunmen killed in firefights, rioters who clashed with troops, or people carrying out attacks. During the same period, 63 Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, with another eight security force members killed in clashes during raids in Palestinian cities.
The military said it strongly condemns all forms of violence and stressed that soldiers and commanders are required to follow the IDF code of ethics. The ATV incident was classified as a criminal matter unrelated to the operational activity in the village and was handed to the Israel Police's West Bank Division. The broader investigation into the earlier shooting and other incidents remained under military examination, to be transferred to relevant authorities based on findings.
Citações Notáveis
The assailant is a known settler. He set up an outpost near the village, and with other settlers he comes to graze his livestock, blocks the road and provokes the residents.— Majdi Abu Mokho, father of the Palestinian struck by the ATV
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does the source distinguish between the ATV incident and the shooting that happened earlier the same day?
Because they're treating them as separate legal matters. The shooting is a military operational question—a soldier using his weapon. The ATV ramming is classified as a criminal act, so it goes to civilian police instead.
But they're the same person, right?
Yes. The same reserve soldier fired a gun in the village, then later that day drove an ATV into a man praying. The military found both actions problematic, but they're investigating them through different channels.
What does it mean that he set up an outpost near the village?
It means he and others have established a settlement there that isn't legally recognized by Israel. They use it as a base to graze animals, control the road, and assert presence. The father's description suggests this is ongoing harassment, not a one-time incident.
The numbers at the end—over 1,000 Palestinians killed versus 63 Israelis—what's the context there?
It's showing the scale of the asymmetry since October 2023. The source includes it to establish that these individual incidents are happening within a much larger pattern of escalating violence across the West Bank.
Why arrest five people for the baby attack but only one for the ATV?
The five were arrested for the stone-throwing at the home. The ATV driver was arrested separately. They're different incidents, different locations, different charges—though both happened the same day and both involved settlers attacking Palestinians.