Netanyahu: Extremist WB settlers face 'all kinds of hardships at home,' media exaggerates issue

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue of extremist West Bank settlers in the Palestinian village of Kusra during a Channel 14 interview on Sunday, stating that these individuals are a "small handful of young people" who come from "all kinds of hardships from home." He asserted that the international media exaggerates the problem, though he condemned the attacks as "very bad" for the settlement community. Netanyahu emphasized that security forces, including the IDF and Shin Bet, should handle such incidents, adding that he intends to strengthen the broader settler movement. His comments followed a Saturday statement condemning the "criminal acts of violence" in Kusra and Jalud, where settlers had barricaded themselves in a Palestinian home, injuring eight residents with stone-throwing.