A top Israeli general has warned that rising Jewish settler violence in the occupied West Bank could trigger a violent Palestinian uprising. Major General Avi Bluth, head of the Israeli military's Central Command, described the phenomenon as "Jewish terrorism" and cautioned that continued attacks are inflaming tensions. "It’s quite a miracle the Palestinian public is still indifferent… but it won’t remain indifferent forever," he was quoted as saying in a closed forum by Haaretz Bluth also mentioned that he had recently warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security cabinet about the possibility of a violent outbreak in the West Bank, both due to settler attacks and government policy, including the withholding of Palestinian Authority tax revenues held by Israel.
"I told [the prime minister]: you should know that… Terror is at its lowest level, but there's a constant boil and we don't know where it will spill over. But when it does, it goes fast". He also pointed to what he described as a direct link between settler attacks and Palestinian resistance, saying: "We know today of people [Palestinians] who were harmed in 'price tag' attacks and immediately afterward went out to carry out an attack." The term "price tag" refers to attacks carried out by extremist settlers against Palestinians, Israeli security forces or property, often framed as retaliation for actions perceived as hostile to settlement expansion. Bluth said much of the violence originates from unauthorised outposts, adding that their actions are "infuriating" and "causing unimaginable damage to the State of Israel and the Zionist enterprise". Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal, whether authorised by the Israeli government or not. Bluth criticised what he described as weak law enforcement, saying punishments handed down to suspects were "a joke" and insufficient to deter further attacks. Haaretz reported that Bluth also took issue with Defence Minister Israel Katz’s decision to end the use of administrative detention for Jewish suspects. Bluth further warned that some settlers were seeking to exploit the regional context, including tensions linked to Iran, to escalate violence. He said they viewed it as "the time to conquer Area A", referring to parts of the West Bank partially controlled by the Palestinian Authority control under the Oslo Accords. "You need to meet these people… they are causing unfathomable damage to the State of Israel and Zionist enterprise," he said, according to the report. Bluth also expressed alarm at the attitudes driving the violence, saying: "These people don’t see Arabs as human beings and think they can burn people, burn homes with their occupants, and unfortunately they do so time and again", describing the phenomenon as "a disgrace to the Jewish people" and adding that he was personally "ashamed". The remarks come amid growing scrutiny of settler violence in the West Bank, which has intensified in recent years while Israeli authorities do little to stop it and often encourage it.
There has been a major rise in attacks on Palestinian communities, including arson, assaults and property damage. The Israeli military has faced criticism for failing to prevent such incidents or prosecute those responsible, with the level of impunity for Jewish perpetrators of violence against Palestinians suggesting tacit approval by the government and state.