Israeli envoy to US condemns settler violence in West Bank, invokes Torah justice

Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, condemned recent settler violence in the West Bank village of Kusra, specifically criticizing those who established an outpost near the village. In a post on X/Twitter, Leiter stated, "When a band of rioters wreaks havoc through completely unjustified violence... this is a distortion of the idea of settling the land, and even a desecration of it." He linked his criticism to the Jewish commandment of settling the Land of Israel, emphasizing that this principle includes a responsibility to uphold justice, citing the Torah portion Parashat Shoftim which commands, "You shall appoint judges and officers... and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment." Leiter also referenced US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee's criticism of "unsettling behavior." These remarks followed a meeting where Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to transfer all civilian law enforcement authority in the West Bank to the Israel Police, stating the IDF's role is to combat terrorism, not handle civilian matters.