Who are the illegal settlers attacking the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank?

A wave of settler violence in the occupied West Bank has taken an unexpected turn inward, with dozens of Israeli settlers rampaging through military bases, attacking soldiers, and torching infrastructure over the past few days.

The unrest has triggered alarm across Israel's political and security establishment, exposing widening fractures between extremist settler groups and the state forces widely seen as their allies.

What began as retaliatory acts following the shooting of a 14-year-old Israeli settler near Ramallah has escalated into one of the most serious internal challenges to Israeli military authority in the West Bank in years.

The New Arab explains who these settlers are, what drives their rage, and how they came to see Israeli soldiers as targets.

Who are the settlers?

The individuals involved in recent attacks are overwhelmingly young, male, and associated with the so-called "hilltop youth" - a loosely organised, highly ideological Jewish settler subculture.

These settlers inhabit outposts in the hills of the West Bank, often established without state approval but tolerated or later legalised by Israeli authorities.

This group has much in common with the broader settler population, which includes half a million Israeli citizens living illegally in settlements across the West Bank.

But the hilltop youth also occupy a distinct ideological space: mixing their ultra-radical, far-right religious nationalism, Jewish zealotry, with a deep distrust of state institutions. They view all of the occupied West Bank - referred to in ideological circles as 'Judea and Samaria' - as a divinely promised land, and consider any Israeli attempt to restrict settlement activity a betrayal of this mission.

Their worldview draws on a fusion of religious messianism, ultra-nationalism, and extreme racist anti-Palestinian sentiment. In recent years, many have also come to see the Israeli state itself as an impediment to their goals, especially when it attempts to evacuate illegal outposts or on the few occasions when settlers are held to account for violence against Palestinians.

The groups frequently launch unprovoked, violent, and sometimes fatal attacks against local Palestinian farmers, Israeli left-wing activists, and even the military.

Why are they attacking the Israeli army?

The latest violence was sparked by the injury of a 14-year-old settler, reportedly shot during clashes near an illegal outpost.

Though the military denies opening fire, many settlers believe otherwise. In retaliation, over 70 settlers attacked a military battalion near Ramallah, choking a soldier, throwing stones, and vandalising vehicles. Days later, dozens stormed a military base in the Binyamin region, setting fire to key security infrastructure and spray-painting "Revenge for the shooting, regards from Beit She'an".

For a growing number of radical settlers, the Israeli army is no longer a symbol of national defence - it is seen as complicit in undermining their religious-nationalist project. Soldiers tasked with dismantling illegal outposts or arresting settlers are viewed as traitors. One reservist reported being called a "Nazi" and "murderer" during Sunday's riot in Binyamin. Others have received death threats, including against their families.

[1] Elisha Yered, a leader in the Hilltop Youth and under sanctions by, UK, EU, Norway, Canada, & Australia, celebrates the displacement of Maghayer a-Deir and the cleansing of 380k dunam in eastern Ramallah from its Palestinian residents (green area on the map). pic.twitter.com/w5OIrJSdmg

— Yehuda Shaul (@YehudaShaul) June 7, 2025

This growing hostility reflects the perception among extremist settlers that the state has turned against them, even as top government ministers openly support the expansion of illegal settlements across Palestinian land.

What have they done?

In the span of just a few days, settlers torched a security installation valued at three million shekels, vandalised military vehicles, physically assaulted soldiers, and sprayed graffiti calling for revenge.

During one attack, a battalion commander was choked while his unit came under sustained assault. Some soldiers were pepper-sprayed, others stoned, while police vehicles had their tyres slashed.

At a recently cleared illegal outpost near Ramallah, settlers attempted to return by force, with one soldier nearly run over and infrastructure destroyed.

The violence has not only targeted the military. In Kafr Malik, settlers opened fire on Palestinian residents and torched property. The army eventually intervened,  killing three Palestinians.

Arrests followed, further fuelling settler anger.

How is the Israeli government responding?

The violence has drawn condemnation from across Israel's political spectrum, though critics note the government's response has so far been limited.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attacks "violent and anarchic" and said they "undermine the rule of law". Defence Minister Israel Katz convened an emergency meeting to "eradicate this violence at the root".

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a far-right settler leader, described the attacks as criminal and said they crossed a red line.

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has long defended settlers and stoked settler violence, issued a rare rebuke, saying attacks on soldiers "must be dealt with in full severity".

Despite these statements, several settlers arrested for assaulting soldiers were released by the courts within days.

Others remain under investigation, as the military, tasked with enforcing Israel's brutal occupation of Palestinian territory, now finds itself under assault from some of the very settlers its presence was intended to support.