Human rights groups and Palestinian officials have denounced what they describe as an ongoing wave of settler violence in the West Bank, noting that such behavior no longer appears isolated or spontaneous, but part of a coordinated policy supported by some elements within Israel’s government.
B’Tselem, an Israeli rights group, reports an alarming spike in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians, homes, farmland and livestock, with at least 18 serious incidents reported during July alone according to their records. Furthermore, B’Tselem claims the Israeli military provides cover during many attacks which encourage settler attacks further.
B’Tselem spokesperson Dana Cohen told Al Jazeera: “We are witnessing organized, systematic violence targeting Palestinian landowners — with Israeli government complicity as demonstrated through its silence, legal protection or direct support.
Footage posted to social media over the last several days shows masked settlers torching Palestinian olive groves and vandalizing property near Nablus and Hebron, in full view of Israeli soldiers who did nothing to intervene.
Palestinian officials have accused the Israeli government, particularly far-right members of its ruling coalition, of instigating violence in the form of state-sponsored pogroms. Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), charged that “these attacks are state sponsored and directed as part of Israel’s agenda to expand illegal settlements”.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied and settled the West Bank with over 700,000 Israeli settlers living in communities considered illegal under international law. While Israel officially denies having an official policy supporting settler violence and settlement expansion, several current cabinet members have openly supported such practices while calling for its expansion across large swaths of territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not addressed directly the recent upsurge in violence; however, in his speech last week he reiterated Israel’s commitment to what he termed the “historic right of Judea and Samaria,” biblical names for West Bank territory.
Critics allege that such rhetoric legitimizes settler aggression and undermines prospects of peace.
The United Nations has also expressed alarm over the worsening situation. On Thursday, its Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a statement noting that settler violence had resulted in at least 400 Palestinians being uprooted from vulnerable Bedouin communities since January this year due to settler violence.
“These actions constitute forced displacement and must cease immediately,” stated Lynn Hastings, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the region. She added that Israeli authorities have an obligation to safeguard civilians within occupied territory rather than enable their abuse.
Calls for international intervention have increased in recent weeks, with several European nations urging Israel to rein in settlers and respect international law. But with no meaningful accountability measures in place for Israel or for Palestinians affected by its policies, many Palestinians fear violence will only increase.