large Israeli army presence in the town existed only on paper". Settler attacks on Palestinian communities continued through 28 February. As of 28 February, of only eight suspects allegedly involved in the rampage, all have been released, three to house arrest. Reactions Israeli Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed for calm on Sunday evening as footage of the violence emerged and spoke out against vigilantism. Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the rampage, stating, "This is not our way. It is criminal violence against innocents". Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler leader who had earlier called for "striking the cities of terror and its instigators without mercy, with tanks and helicopters", appealed to his fellow settlers to not take the law into their own hands, and to let the army and government do their jobs. Subsequently, Smotrich called for Huwara to be "wiped out". Other members of Israel's ruling coalition proffered other sentiments. Zvika Fogel, of the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit, said he saw the violence "in a very good light" in response to a question on Army Radio in which the interviewer referred to the rampage as a 'pogrom'. Palestinian Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized events as "the terrorist acts carried out by settlers under the protection of the occupation forces tonight," and blamed the Israeli government. International The European Union noted its alarm at the violence called on authorities on both sides "stop this endless cycle of violence." The UK ambassador to Israel called on Israel to address the settler violence and bring those responsible to justice. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said violence underscored "the imperative to immediately de-escalate tensions in words and deeds." See also Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2023 Israeli settler violence References 2023 riots February 2023 crimes in Asia Terrorist incidents in the West Bank in 2023 Ethnic riots Nablus Governorate