Israel supports its settlers against the country's Palestinian people

Despite differences in how agencies group and categorize acts of violence committed by extremist settlers in the West Bank, all available information indicates that the problem has expanded steadily in the past three years, which is reflected in the boldness of the perpetrators, the number and severity of these acts, their geographic spread, and the increasing level of organization behind them. This violence became part of a broader set of coercive measures aimed at pressuring Palestinian communities to give up their property and consolidate Jewish control over them. Aside from the risks to Palestinian civilians, this shift poses serious risks to Israel's international legitimacy, the rule of law in the West Bank, and the future of any potential diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. An effective response must be based on three basic pillars: public policy, policing and intelligence-based prevention. But these pillars suffer from serious shortcomings.

There are generally two different systems for monitoring incidents of violence committed by extremist settlers. The Israeli army, its security agency, ISA, and its police, adopt a military security framework that is limited to counting physical attacks, shooting, stone-throwing, and burning of property. On the other hand, statistics from the United Nations and human rights organizations include threats, intimidation, erecting barriers, and damage to property. Despite the difference in numbers, the trend is the same, as the data set shows a sharp and continuous rise in the level and frequency of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, especially since the attacks of October 7, 2023. The number of “national crimes” incidents increased according to Israeli army data to 870 incidents in 2025 compared to 495 in the previous year, and the number of attacks classified as “severe” increased from 83 to 120, and death rates among Palestinians are increasing, as the “Israeli Security Service” reported. “ISA” killed 15 people in settler attacks from January to August 2026, which is double the number of deaths in 2025. According to data collected by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, between January and July 2026, extremist settlers carried out 1,380 attacks in about 250 Palestinian gatherings, resulting in the injury of about 900 Palestinians, some of them at the hands of “Israeli Security.” Data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also shows that the monthly average of these incidents increased by about 14-fold between 2020 and 2026. Changing motives also led to a qualitative shift in the nature of violence. Extremist settler attacks in the past were motivated by retaliation and deterrence following Palestinian terrorist attacks (incidents) “paying the price.” But it seemsThat perpetrators are no longer driven by these factors. The reason for this is the decline in Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank and Jerusalem. It decreased from 414 in 2023 to 68 in 2025, 21 in 2026, and only 3 in the current year until last July. Therefore, settler violence became less linked to reaction and became a proactive tool in the struggle for presence and control in the West Bank. Most perpetrators reside in settlement outposts and farms established in open areas between Jewish and Palestinian communities. Settlers often commit violations that indicate their intention to force Palestinians to leave, such as blocking access to agricultural land, destroying crops, olive trees, and agricultural equipment, as well as vandalizing homes, water and electricity infrastructure, and stealing or killing livestock. In the past, the attacks occurred in Area C of the West Bank under Israeli control under Oslo. However, recent months have witnessed an extension of the attacks to Area B, which is subject to Palestinian civil administration and Israeli security oversight, and have also reached Area A, where Palestinian control is complete.

Who are the attackers and who supports them? A solid force of extremist settlers, numbering between 300 and 500, work and live on “local green farms” and use them as launching pads for their attacks. The farm owners are older and socially marginalized and provide indirect support to the perpetrators through fixed income, land and logistical infrastructure for them. But they have no official leadership and prominent religious figures support them, but do not issue instructions to them. However, its teachings create a conceptual basis that perpetrators use to justify their actions. The extremist Rabbi Menachem Ben-Shahar was arrested in October 2025 on charges of incitement to violence. He said, “The youth of the hills are waging a moral and delicate struggle, and they must be emulated.”

Since October, Israeli ministries have taken steps to increase the number of weapons in the possession of settlers, especially on farms and settlement outposts, and to strengthen their organizational capabilities: The Ministry of National Security, led by Ben Gvir, established civilian rapid response teams equipped with police powers - The Ministry of Defense, based on data on locations and incidents of armed conflict, recruited 5,500 settlers into special “territorial defense” reserve units stationed near settlements - The Ministry of National Security expanded the scope of citizens’ eligibility to obtain licenses Personal firearms, and the Department of Defense has facilitated wider distribution of weapons in West Bank settlements. The government has provided the settlements with Polaris Ranger off-road vehicles for defensive purposes, but extremists are using them to quickly reach friction points and harass Palestinian farmers and herders, as well as to move weapons, equipment, and personnel between farms and outposts. This is striking evidence that violent settlement has become, or may still be, the only policy implemented by Israel to control the West Bank. The world, especially the Western world, does not face this except by a decision to ban the import of products from the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which do not constitute more than 5 percent of Israeli production.