New Delhi: Israel's president and the chief of its military have condemned an attack by Jewish settlers in the West Bank on Tuesday, where they attacked Palestinians as well as Israeli security personnel, in addition to setting fire to property and vehicles.

President Isaac Herzog ‘severely condemned’ the “shocking and serious” violence, which he said had ‘crossed a red line’.

“All state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon and to strengthen the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] fighters and security forces who protect us day and night,” Herzog said in an X post early on Wednesday (November 12) Indian time.

Later in the day, IDF chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir too condemned the violence and said the Israeli military “will not tolerate criminal behavior by a small minority that tarnishes the law-abiding public”.

Such incidents, he added per a press release, “divert the attention of our troops” from their duties. “We are determined to stop this phenomenon and will act decisively until justice is served.”

Major General Avi Bluth, who heads the IDF's Central Command that operates in the West Bank, said that such acts are unacceptable for the Israeli military. “The directive to IDF soldiers is clear: do not stand idly by, and do everything in your power to prevent any act of nationalist crime,” he was quoted as saying by a military spokesperson.

According to Israeli media, dozens of settlers set fire to tents in a Palestinian village on Tuesday and torched vehicles as well as property in an industrial area.

The IDF said four Palestinians were injured in the violence and evacuated for medical treatment.

Assailants who had fled to a nearby industrial area went on to attack Israeli soldiers and damaged a military vehicle, the IDF had said in a statement on Tuesday. “The apprehended individuals were transferred to the Israel Police for further handling,” it added.

However, some reports said that IDF personnel were said to have obstructed firefighting efforts.

The Times of Israel reported that as of Wednesday evening, three of the four Israeli suspects who were arrested on Tuesday had been released from police custody.

Tuesday's violence occurred against the backdrop of a spike in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that it recorded 264 settler attacks in October that had resulted in casualties, property damage or both. “That marks the highest monthly toll in nearly two decades of record-keeping,” the agency noted.

It has been noted that the surge in Israeli settler violence occurs amid the yearly olive harvest when Palestinians – and sometimes volunteers from Israel and elsewhere – pick the crop from fruiting trees.

“The arrest of Israelis suspected of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank is a rare phenomenon and perpetrators are rarely prosecuted,” the Times also noted.

In July last year the UN's top court, the International Court of Justice, held in a landmark advisory opinion that the Israeli occupation of and settlements in the Palestinian territories are illegal.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.