Israel presses West Bank settlement push as settler violence flares before elections

Israeli soldiers and settlers clashed with Palestinian olive farmers Saturday as Netanyahu's government advances settlement plans before October 27 elections.

• Israeli soldiers backed settlers who seized Palestinian olive groves Saturday as the harvest began, the Red Crescent reporting 12 Palestinians hospitalized in separate beatings.
• The UN recorded 6,100 settler attacks on Palestinians since Netanyahu's coalition took power in 2022, displacing more than 6,500 people.
• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the building plans aim to "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state and prepare for one million new settlers.
• Netanyahu attributed the violence to a small group of settlers he described as "delinquent youths."