Pogrom in Al-Jab’a village

On November 17, 2025, in the evening, extensive violence erupted in the Palestinian village of Al-Jab’a, southwest of Bethlehem, after dozens of extremist Jewish settlers entered the village and set fire to homes and vehicles.

They attacked homes, set vehicles on fire, and vandalized property. Video documentation shows settlers setting fire to vehicles and throwing stones before fleeing.

According to the head of Al-Jab’a council, Diab Masha’la, settlers broke into the village, attacked several houses, burned resident-owned cars.

There are contradictory accounts — some sources claim two Palestinians were injured, but others (including local officials) say there were no injuries.

Israeli security forces (IDF, Border Police, and Police) were deployed to the area. No suspects were detained at the time of reporting.

According to Israeli Army Radio, dozens of settlers broke into the village and began setting fire to Palestinian homes and cars, allegedly in retaliation for the dismantling of an illegal settler outpost and clashes in the Gush Etzion area earlier in the day. The Israeli source also reported that large Israeli forces were heading to the village to regain control of the situation, adding that initial reports indicated the burning of one home and four Palestinian vehicles, along with the injury of a Palestinian citizen.

Context:

Al-Jab’a (Jab’a) is a Palestinian village in the central West Bank, about 15 km southwest of Bethlehem and 17 km north of Hebron. It lies roughly 3 km east of the Green Line and is surrounded by Israeli settlements of the Gush Etzion bloc. It is very likely that the rioters, or at least most of them, came from Bat Ayin and its outposts. It is the closest and most violent settlement in the area, but it cannot be ruled out that some of them came from other nearby settlements and outposts.

The attack occurred shortly after the evacuation of the illegal outpost Tzur Mashgabi in Gush Etzion.

IDF statement:

The IDF confirmed that Israeli civilians vandalized and set fire to homes and cars. Security forces were “jumped to the scene". Searchs for suspects were ongoing, incident still active. It warned that such settler violence "distracts forces from counter-terrorism duties".

Statement of the Defense Minister Israel Katz:

Responding for the first time after days of silence regarding widespread settler attacks, he condemned “violent anarchists” harming soldiers and Palestinians. He promised no leniency for violent settlers and a new government decision soon, granting legal tools and budget to address settler violence. However, he reiterated his support for expanding settlements but “within the law.”

English statement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

He issued a condemnation only in English on his official account, calling the attackers “a handful of extremists.” and saying Israel “will act with full force” against settler attacks on Palestinians and soldiers.