Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett denounced attacks in which homes are set ablaze while innocent Palestinians are inside, describing such violence as “Jewish terrorism.”
"If someone comes to burn down the home of innocent Arabs with the people inside it, then of course that is Jewish terrorism.
"If it is done for nationalist reasons, that is the definition," Bennett told the Besheva conference on Sunday.
He said such acts should be condemned, adding: "I don’t understand how this serves the settlement movement."
Bennett's remarks come ahead of Israel's general elections that are set to be held on Oct. 27. The vote centers on Netanyahu’s Likud party and his principal challengers, particularly former army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Bennett.
The comments also coincide with a rise in attacks by the Israeli military and occupiers in the occupied West Bank in recent days.
Violence by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has intensified in recent years, with attacks including killings, assaults, arson, vandalism and the destruction of homes, farmland and property. Rights groups and U.N. officials have repeatedly raised concerns over settler violence and what they describe as a lack of accountability, while Palestinians have also faced mounting displacement as Israeli settlement expansion continues across the territory. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
