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100-plus cars burned in Lubban ash-Sharqiya in what Palestinians call a settler attack; IDF hunts suspects

The village council puts losses above 1 million shekels. It is the second big arson near Nablus in three days, as the UN logs a record harvest season for settler attacks.

By 567 Politics staffPublished 10 min read

The village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, seen from the road in June 2022.
The village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, seen from the road in June 2022. · Photo: أمين (Amin) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) ↗

More than 100 vehicles burned in the Palestinian village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, after what Palestinian officials and local sources describe as an arson attack by Israeli settlers late Tuesday, November 10. The fire also burned dozens of olive trees, a storage building and streetlight poles, cutting power to the area. The village council puts the losses at more than 1 million shekels, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The Israeli army said it was searching for suspects and that police would collect evidence. No arrests had been reported by Wednesday.

The village of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, seen from the road in June 2022.

The attack is the second large arson in the Nablus area in three days. It comes as UN monitors report record levels of settler violence during the olive harvest. A day earlier, a Palestinian Authority body said Israel had approved a plan that would allow firing ranges at 31 settlement sites. Palestinian officials say that plan adds to the danger. Israel's top military lawyer and the head of the main settler council have said such violence must be stopped. Israel's national security minister argues that more licensed guns in civilian hands save lives.

What happened in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya#

Palestinian, Turkish and Israeli outlets agree on the core facts. There was a large fire at a vehicle scrapyard on the edge of the village. Palestinian crews fought it for hours. The Israeli army searched for suspects. They differ on some details.

According to WAFA, dozens of settlers attacked the al-Qanater area north of the village. They set fire to a vehicle scrapyard and burned more than 100 vehicles. The flames also reached about 10 cars owned by residents and parked near homes, and several vehicles at a repair workshop. The head of the village council told WAFA that losses were above 1 million shekels. He said dozens of olive trees, storage buildings and streetlight poles also burned.

Hundreds of residents rushed to the scene and tried to contain the flames with basic tools before Civil Defense crews arrived, WAFA reported. Five Civil Defense teams from Salfit, Aqraba, Burin, Sinjil and Abwein fought the fire for more than five hours. Several residents suffered smoke inhalation and were treated at the scene by the Palestine Red Crescent Society. More than 10 Israeli military vehicles entered the village and drove toward the fire, the agency said.

Anadolu Agency, citing local sources, said more than 50 attackers came from nearby settlement outposts late Tuesday. It said they poured accelerants over the vehicles before setting them on fire. Clashes broke out with residents, the attackers withdrew, and Israeli military vehicles then entered the area, the agency reported. Local media footage showed the fire spreading toward homes.

The Times of Israel reported the incident as settlers "said to" have set fire to vehicles overnight, and said no injuries were reported. That account differs from WAFA's report of smoke inhalation cases.

What the Israeli army said#

The army did not name suspects. In a statement carried by Ynet, an IDF spokesperson said security forces rushed to the village after reports of arson and footage showing vehicles on fire.

"Forces are currently operating in the area to locate suspects and restore order," the statement said. "Upon completion of firefighting operations, police forces and forensic investigators will enter under IDF force protection to collect findings and evidence."

The army did not say whether anyone had been detained. Israel.com, which tracked the IDF's statements, noted that the military's first alert did not name the village and that its later account did not identify who was suspected.

This pattern has been seen before. In August, after vehicles were set on fire in nearby Jalud, the IDF said that "Israeli civilians" had arrived at the edge of the village and set the fires. "The forces searched for suspects with no findings," it said then, according to Ynet.

Two arson attacks in three days#

On Monday evening, November 9, attackers set fire to three bulldozers, several vehicles and equipment at stone-cutting plants in the industrial zone of Beita, also south of Nablus, WAFA reported, citing security sources. The agency said dozens of settlers took part and that Israeli forces entered the town at the same time. Beita's industrial zone has been attacked repeatedly, it said.

No Israeli military statement on the Beita attack was found.

Both villages lie in the Nablus governorate. The PA's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission counted 353 settler attacks there in October, second only to Ramallah and al-Bireh with 393. 567 Politics reported the commission's October totals last week.

A record olive harvest season for attacks#

UN data show the scale of the trend. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) counts "olive-harvest-related" settler attacks that cause casualties or property damage.

By November 2, OCHA had recorded 377 such attacks since the start of the season in September. That is more than in any previous harvest season, OCHA said on November 5. The agency counted 224 in the whole 2024 season and 185 in 2025, according to its October 22 report. In 2020, it counted 33.

Olive-harvest-related settler attacks recorded by OCHA, by seasonAttacks resulting in casualties or property damage. The 2026 figure covers September 1 to November 2 and the season is not over. OCHA did not give 2021-2023 totals in these reports.

Source: OCHA, October 22, 2026, OCHA, November 5, 2026

Show the numbers
SeasonAttacks
202033
2024224
2025185
2026 (to Nov. 2)377

The 2026 count is still partial. The harvest began officially on October 15 and continues into November.

OCHA also reported that October had the most settler attacks causing casualties or damage of any month since it began keeping records in 2006, with 457. In the week to November 2, it counted 64 such attacks across 48 communities. The weekly average so far in 2026 is 53.

These are counts of incidents, not of people. OCHA records attacks it can document. Its definitions differ from those of the PA commission, which counted 1,369 settler attacks in October using a broader definition.

The firing-range plan#

On Tuesday, the PA's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli authorities had approved Plan No. 200/5, WAFA reported. The commission said the plan allows firing ranges at 31 sites: 29 settlements, outposts and settlement neighborhoods, plus two industrial zones. The sites lie in the Ramallah and al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Nablus, and Jericho and Jordan Valley governorates.

According to the commission, the plan lists firing ranges as a permitted use on land zoned for public buildings, tourism, commerce, industry, sports and recreation. The ranges would be used for live-fire training and to qualify people to carry weapons. The commission said each range still needs its own permits before it can be built and run.

The commission pointed to two earlier documents. It said a 2022 Israeli government list named nine licensed firing ranges in West Bank settlements, including Ariel, Karnei Shomron, Ma'on and Alon Shvut. It also said a 2024 paper from the economic arm of the Mateh Binyamin regional council proposed a range in Psagot. That paper tied the need for a range to a rise in gun license applications after October 7, 2023, according to the commission.

The commission warned that more weapons training in areas with frequent attacks raises the risk to Palestinian communities. It called for protection for Palestinians and for those who carry out attacks, and "the entities that support and enable them," to be held to account.

The plan itself could not be independently reviewed. No Israeli government or Civil Administration statement on Plan 200/5 was found. The Israeli side's case for wider gun ownership has been made in other settings. In March, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir extended gun license eligibility to residents of 41 Jerusalem neighborhoods. "In many cases, it has already been proven that a weapon in the hands of citizens helped thwart attacks and save lives," he said, as reported by the Hindustan Times, citing the Times of Israel. "A weapon saves lives!" That policy concerned Jerusalem, not West Bank firing ranges. There is no evidence that any range under the new plan is linked to the Lubban attack.

What Israeli officials and settler leaders have said#

Israeli military and settler leaders have acknowledged the problem in recent weeks, while differing on its causes and remedies.

The IDF's top legal officer, Maj. Gen. Itay Offir, said on November 3 that the army had adopted new tools to curb violence by Israeli civilians against Palestinians, including bans on face coverings and electronic ankle monitors. "We have not yet managed to stop this violence, and a great deal of work lies ahead, but we will work tirelessly to fulfill our responsibility," he said, according to the Jerusalem Post. He described that responsibility as protecting both Jews and Palestinians in the West Bank.

Yisrael Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements and head of the Binyamin Regional Council, spoke after the Jalud arsons in September. "The law must be enforced in Judea and Samaria exactly as it is enforced in Tel Aviv or Kfar Saba. Anyone who acts violently must face the law," he said, according to Ynet. "The State of Israel has the forces and tools to stop these phenomena, and it must use them."

After a settler siege of homes in Qusra in August, Gantz said the events were "serious and not our way." He added that "some are exploiting these events for a campaign against the settlement enterprise."

Earlier this month, the army cleared four West Bank outposts that it described as sources of violence, as 567 Politics reported. Settlers attacked harvesters near Qusra the same week, as covered in a separate report.

No statement from the Yesha Council or the Samaria Regional Council on the Lubban fire had been found by Wednesday afternoon.

The Palestinian view#

Palestinian officials frame the attacks as part of a wider push to take land. The PA commission said that 31 Palestinians have been killed by settlers since the start of 2026. It described the attacks as aimed at Palestinians' livelihoods and at pressuring them to leave their land.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres raised the same concern in an interview with Anadolu Agency at the COP31 climate talks on Tuesday. He pointed to new settlements, evictions and settler violence. "There is a clear intention of progressively occupying more and more land, which gives the indication that in the end the objective is annexation," he said, as carried by WAFA. No Israeli government response to that remark was found.

What to watch#

The Israeli army said police and forensic teams would enter the village to collect evidence. Whether any suspect is identified, arrested or charged is the next test. Gantz's call for the law to be enforced "exactly as it is enforced in Tel Aviv" and Offir's pledge to stop the violence will be measured against the outcome.

The olive harvest continues into November, and OCHA's next weekly report will show whether the pace of attacks is easing. The firing-range plan still needs permits for each site. The Palestinian commission's account of the plan has not been confirmed by Israeli authorities. Palestinian factions and parties are mapped on the Palestine political spectrum.

Sources#

Differing perspectives

What should be done about settler attacks on Palestinians and the arming of civilians in the West Bank?

Each position is summarized as its supporters make it, with equal weight and in alphabetical order. A summary is not an endorsement; the evidence for each is weighed in the story above.

  • Enforce the law on violent settlers as anywhere in Israel

    Who holds it: Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Gantz and settler leaders who share his view

    Gantz argues that the law must be enforced in the West Bank exactly as it is in Tel Aviv or Kfar Saba, and that anyone who acts violently must face the law. Speaking after arson attacks in the village of Jalud, he said such events can and must be prevented. He argues that the State of Israel already has the forces and tools to stop these attacks and must use them.

    In their words: Ynet, quoting Gantz ↗

  • Expand licensed gun ownership for self-defense

    Who holds it: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and supporters of wider civilian gun licensing

    Ben-Gvir argues that firearms in the hands of responsible citizens strengthen personal security and allow a first response to terror and crime. He says that in many cases armed citizens have already helped stop attacks and save lives, and that residents have a basic right to defend themselves and their families. He urges eligible people to get a license, saying a weapon saves lives.

    In their words: Hindustan Times, quoting Ben-Gvir ↗

  • Keep building military law enforcement tools

    Who holds it: IDF Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itay Offir and the Israeli military

    Offir says the army has adopted new tools to curb violence by Israeli civilians against Palestinians, such as bans on face coverings and electronic ankle monitors, and has won convictions of soldiers for West Bank crimes. He says the army has not yet managed to stop the violence and that much work remains. He argues its duty is to protect both Jews and Palestinians and says it will work tirelessly to meet it.

    In their words: The Jerusalem Post, quoting Offir ↗

  • Protect Palestinians and hold attackers and enablers to account

    Who holds it: The Palestinian Authority's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission and Palestinian officials

    The commission argues that settler attacks are rising fast, with 1,369 in October against 647 in September and 31 Palestinians killed by settlers this year. It says approving firing ranges at 31 settlement sites, on top of arming settlers, raises the risk that weapons will be used against Palestinians and push them off their land. It calls for protection for Palestinians and accountability for attackers and those who support them.

    In their words: WAFA, carrying the commission's statement ↗

Cite this article

567 Politics staff. “100-plus cars burned in Lubban ash-Sharqiya in what Palestinians call a settler attack; IDF hunts suspects.” 567politics. Published 2026-11-11. https://567politics.com/news/palestine-lubban-sharqiya-arson-100-vehicles-settlers-idf-search-firing-ranges-ocha-harvest-november-2026

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Independent coverage and primary evidence to help you compare arguments. A link is not an endorsement; perspective labels describe the linked material.

Reviewed 2026-11-11. discover_politics_sources returned only unrelated results (Alabama news, aluminium), so these sources were hand-picked from pages opened on Nov. 10-11, 2026. The Times of Israel live-blog entry was found by search but timed out when opened, so its 'no injuries' detail is cited from its headline. The text of Israel's Plan 200/5 could not be found; its contents come only from the Palestinian commission's account. No Israeli statement on the Beita attack, no Israeli government reply to the firing-range report and no settler-council statement on the Lubban fire were found.

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