The United States has condemned the escalation of settler violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, and the US State Department on Monday urged Israel to take action on settler violence in the West Bank, expressing concern after nearly 20 cars were burned near Ramallah.

"The United States is deeply concerned by these and other recent reports of increased extremist settler violence in the West Bank," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

In addition to Monday's car burnings, Miller pointed to settler attacks in the West Bank on homes, killing of Palestinian livestock and obstruction of the olive harvest.

“It is critical that the Government of Israel deter extremist settler violence and take the necessary measures to protect all communities from harm in accordance with its international obligations,” Miller said.

“This includes intervening, preventing and stopping such violence. It is also the responsibility of the relevant authorities to do everything in their power to calm tensions and hold all perpetrators of violence against civilians equally accountable, regardless of the background of the perpetrator or victim,” he said.

In response to a question from the Jerusalem correspondent about whether the United States would demand the extradition of extremist settlers who committed acts of violence against Palestinians, Miller said that this was up to the US Department of Justice.

The United States has repeatedly expressed concern and imposed sanctions over settler violence in the West Bank in conjunction with Israel's war in Gaza.

Jewish settlers burned 20 cars during an attack on Palestinian property on the outskirts of Ramallah on Monday, residents said, in one of their boldest raids yet in the area that serves as the seat of the Palestinian government in the occupied West Bank.

They said about ten masked attackers carrying firebombs targeted the al-Bireh area adjacent to Ramallah at around 3 a.m. and burned cars within minutes.

Resident Ihab Al-Zaben said he shouted at the settlers but they continued to burn the vehicles anyway.

"When we went down to try to put out the fire, they started shooting at us," he said.

The facade of an apartment building was left blackened by fires that started in cars parked outside the building.

The Israeli police spokesman said in a statement that the Israeli police and the internal security service (Shin Bet) are investigating after receiving a report that a number of Palestinian cars were burned.

Jewish settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank has drawn international condemnation and led to sanctions against violent settlers by some governments, particularly the United States, which has urged Israel to do more to stop the attacks.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority condemned the “brutal attack by settler militias.” The Foreign Ministry called for “comprehensive sanctions targeting the entire settler-colonial regime.”

Hamas official Abdel Rahman Shadid said the attack represented an escalation by the settlers and required "escalating the confrontation and confronting these crimes," according to a statement issued by the Palestinian group.

Israel views the West Bank as biblical Judea and Samaria, and settlers cite biblical links to the land.

Settler violence was on the rise before the Gaza war, and has worsened since the conflict began just over a year ago.

In an interview with Reuters last week, a settler community leader expressed confidence that Donald Trump, if he wins the US presidential election, would lift what settlers see as illegal sanctions imposed over attacks on Palestinians.

Most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law. In 2019, the then-Trump administration abandoned the long-standing US position that the settlements were illegal before President Joe Biden restored it.