Israeli army to recruit 'defence militiamen' to guard West Bank settlements

The Israeli military is set to recruit settlers who have not previously served in the army as "defence militiamen" to protect ultra-Orthodox settlements in the occupied West Bank, Haaretz reported on Thursday. 

Applicants will undergo an accelerated three-week weapons training course before being deployed across settlements, and receive a regular salary from the army.

Settlers with criminal records could be among those recruited, depending on the “nature” of the crime, which the army could “overlook” if the applicants were serious, according to Haaretz.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Israeli authorities have handed out more than 8,000 weapons to so-called settlement defence squads and regional defence battalions in the West Bank.

Settler rampages across the West Bank have risen sharply over the past year and have accelerated since 7 October. 

Several Palestinians have been killed by settlers in the past three weeks, while their communities have been terrorised, livestock stolen and their businesses and homes attacked.