Istanbul (Anadolu) – Khaled Youssef

These accusations come after a shooting incident near the town of Tel in the West Bank that resulted in the death of a settler and an Israeli officer.

On Friday, Israeli 'Democrats' party leader Yair Golan accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz of seeking to ignite the occupied West Bank by establishing settlement outposts and increasing friction points with Palestinians.

Golan had posted a message on platform X commenting on Netanyahu and Katz's decision to begin proceedings to legalize existing settlement outposts and establish new ones in the West Bank, following the events in the town of Tel, southwest of Nablus.

Golan added that 'their response to the serious incident in the Havat Gilad area is establishing more illegal outposts and creating more friction points,' indicating that they 'want to ignite an additional front in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).'

He added: 'There is a clear intention to ignite the region, instead of learning the main lesson from October 7,' referring to the attack by Palestinian factions on Israeli settlements and military bases adjacent to the Gaza Strip in 2023.

Golan continued that Netanyahu and Katz, instead of working to reduce the combat fronts and enable the army to carry out its missions, are making decisions that would create more friction points and push the situation toward escalation.

He stressed that the events in the West Bank require security forces to act to restore stability and prevent further deterioration.

He warned that any new escalation would endanger the lives of Israelis and Palestinians, as well as expose Israeli soldiers to additional risks, according to him.

Earlier on Friday, Netanyahu and Katz decided to begin proceedings to legalize existing settlement outposts and establish new ones in the West Bank, following the killing of a settler and an Israeli officer and the wounding of two others in a shooting near the town of Tel.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the decisions include demolishing the home of the Palestinian whom Israel accuses of carrying out the shooting, confiscating weapons from Palestinian villages, revoking work permits for their residents, and carrying out extensive military operations there.

The decisions also included granting the Israeli army 'freedom of action' in West Bank cities and towns, under the pretext of confronting what the statement described as 'terrorism.'

Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal under international law, while unauthorized settlement outposts are also a violation of Israeli law, before the government works to retroactively legalize some of them.

The decisions came after events in the town of Tel, in which 4 Palestinians were killed and 4 others were injured, including 3 in critical condition, following an attack by settlers under the protection of the Israeli army on the town.

Tel village council head Walid Zaidan told Anadolu that the events began with about 20 settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, storming the outskirts of the town and attempting to burn Palestinian homes, before residents confronted them.

Video footage seen by Anadolu showed a Palestinian managing to grab a weapon from a settler and open fire during the clashes, resulting in the death of two Israelis and the injury of two others.

Subsequently, the Israeli army imposed a siege on Nablus and surrounding villages, and deployed additional forces in the area.

An initial Israeli army investigation concluded that the shooting was not a planned Palestinian attack, but occurred after settlers entered the area without prior coordination with the army.

The army considered the settlers' entry into the area without coordination as a 'dangerous act,' stressing that individuals are not entitled to carry out independent movements there.

Since October 2023, the West Bank has witnessed an escalation of attacks by the Israeli army and settlers, resulting in the death of 1,182 Palestinians and the injury of thousands, in addition to the arrest of about 24,000.

The West Bank has been experiencing escalating tension since the October 7, 2023 attack. Illegal Israeli settlements are considered one of the main friction points. Netanyahu faces internal criticism over his policy toward the West Bank. Observers believe that the settlement escalation may lead to a wider confrontation.