Netanyahu vows crackdown on Israeli violence after attacks on Palestinian villages

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By Howard Goller and Ali Sawafta

(Reuters) -Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he will urgently convene cabinet ministers to ensure Israelis behind the latest attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are brought to justice.

In violence on Monday, Israelis torched homes and vehicles in Jab’a, a Palestinian village near Bethlehem after an earlier attack on property and civilians in the village of Sa’ir, the WAFA news agency said, quoting officials.

Israel has been under mounting international pressure to curb the attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Convening ministers, a potential sign of greater government attention, was Netanyahu’s most significant recent step to address the violence.

Defence Minister Israel Katz, in a separate statement, said the government in coming weeks would approve a landmark decision to allocate resources and funding that he expected would have a significant impact addressing the violence.

Netanyahu said: “I view with great severity the violent disturbances and the attempt to take the law into their own hands by a small, extremist group.”

He also said: “I call on the law enforcement authorities to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law. I intend to deal with this personally, and convene the relevant ministers as soon as possible to address this serious phenomenon.”

The Israeli military said security forces were deployed to Jab’a and searches were under way for those responsible.

At a meeting on Monday, the Palestinian cabinet urged the international community to act swiftly to halt attacks they said were carried out with the protection and support of the Israeli government in violation of international law.

An Israeli government spokesperson said earlier on Monday an Israeli minority carried out the recent disturbances in the West Bank and did not represent the majority of the country’s citizens.

This month, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said settlers staged at least 264 attacks on Palestinians in October — the highest monthly tally since the U.N. began tracking incidents in 2006.

Home to 2.7 million Palestinians, the West Bank has long been at the heart of plans for a future Palestinian state existing alongside Israel. Successive Israeli governments have encouraged Israeli settlements to expand rapidly in the West Bank, fragmenting the land.

The United Nations, Palestinians and most countries regard settlements as illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, citing biblical ties to the land and security concerns. Around half a million Israeli settlers live in the West Bank.

(Reporting by Howard Goller and Ali Sawafta; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)