Israeli minister says West Bank settler attacks 'organised terrorism'

An Israeli minister has described on Monday attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank as "organised terrorism".

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev was commenting on an attack by settlers on Palestinian and Israeli activists south of the city of Nablus.

"This is organised activity of a terrorist group which came to harm citizens of the country who were demonstrating," he told the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

Barlev sparked uproar last month when he criticised a wave of violence by West Bank settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

He said extremists have threatened him and he was under around-the-clock protection as a result.

Settler attacks targeting Palestinians are extremely common in the occupied West Bank, with Israeli security forces accused of turning a blind eye and conviction rates incredibly low.

Most of the international community considers these settlements, home to some 400,000 Jewish Israeli settlers, to be illegal.