The United States on Wednesday condemned Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as “incredibly destabilizing” and called on Israel to curb it, AFP reported.

Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village of AruraPhoto: APAImages / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Settler attacks in the West Bank are “incredibly destabilizing and counterproductive to Israel’s long-term security, and of course extremely harmful to Palestinians living in the West Bank,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“We sent them a very clear message: This is not acceptable, it has to stop, and those responsible must be held accountable,” Miller said, referring to negotiations between the United States and the Israeli government.

A Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, the West Bank has seen an escalation of violence since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s deadly attack on Israeli territory on October 7.

It is the scene of numerous Israeli military operations, Israeli settler atrocities against the Palestinian population, and Palestinian attacks on Israeli settlements and forces.

More than 125 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli soldiers or forces.

An Israeli army (IDF) soldier was arrested by military police on Wednesday on suspicion of shooting dead a Palestinian man who was apparently picking olives.

According to Sky News, the Israeli army announced a clash near the village of As Sawiya in the northern West Bank “between several Palestinians and Israeli civilians” on Saturday.

It said that “an IDF soldier on leave is suspected to have used his combat weapon and fired during the incident, causing the death of a Palestinian.”

According to her, the soldier was detained yesterday.

The first report, cited by Haaretz and the Times of Israel, said Bilal Muhammad Saleh, 40, was shot in the chest and that his death was confirmed by the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health and military sources.

According to Haaretz, Saleh was part of a group picking olives near a village near Nablus when he was attacked by settlers.

It appears that several olive groves were attacked in the area.