Armed, masked, ready to attack and kill the inhabitants of the small village of Jit. It happened last night in the West Bank, where a group of Jewish settlers conducted "a real pogrom", to quote the words of Israeli President Herzog. It was said to be about a hundred extremists, who broke into the town, shooting at residents and setting fire to homes, land and cars. The toll is one dead and several wounded, hit by enemy fire.

The president's harsh condemnation was not long in coming, with X pointing the finger at "tonight's pogrom in Samaria," using the name of the biblical province corresponding to the northern West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu also expressed dissent. Initially, the prime minister's office said it "intends to treat the incident 'severely,' but frames the actions as an attempt to combat terrorism, rather than as terrorism in itself." Then came the announcement: "Those responsible will be captured, tried and convicted."

The Palestinian Authority's Foreign Ministry called it "organized state terrorism." "We condemn the settler attacks in Jit, aimed at terrorizing Palestinian civilians. Day after day, with almost total impunity, Israeli settlers are fueling violence in the occupied West Bank, contributing to jeopardizing any possibility of peace. The Israeli government must immediately put an end to these unacceptable actions. I confirm my intention to present a proposal for EU sanctions against supporters of the violent settlers, including some members of the Israeli government," wrote the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on X.

(Unioneonline/vf)