Violence perpetrated by setters in the West Bank unveiled
In the West Bank, Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay has encountered Israeli settlers who claim the land they occupy belongs to them. However, the situation of displacement of Palestinians by these settlers is ongoing, with no direct intervention from the IDF in this specific instance.
The Israeli settler groups responsible for this displacement are a collection of Jewish settler communities, engaging in systematic violence and intimidation against Palestinian peasants, rural workers, and Bedouin communities. These groups have been reported to perpetrate attacks such as arson, livestock theft, poisoning or destruction of water sources, and destruction of Palestinian-owned homes and livelihoods.
Specific individuals involved include settlers like Yan Levy, who has been sanctioned by Britain and the EU for threatening Palestinians at gunpoint and destroying property to force Palestinians off their land. The violence and displacement have intensified particularly since October 2023, following the Hamas attack on Israel, with settler attacks and Israeli military raids increasing significantly, leading to thousands of Palestinians being displaced.
Reports do not always name specific settler organizations but emphasize the collective role of settler communities in these activities, often backed or tolerated by Israeli security forces. These settler groups have targeted Palestinian communities systematically over years, with repeated demolitions of Palestinian structures mostly in Area C of the West Bank, an area under full Israeli control where building permits for Palestinians are nearly impossible to obtain.
Stuart Ramsay has witnessed this displacement firsthand, meeting a Palestinian man who found his home taken over by Israeli settlers upon his return from work. The Israeli settlers maintain their claim over the land they occupy, while living in homes that were forcibly taken from Palestinians.
It is important to note that the IDF is involved in protecting a growing number of Israelis, but the IDF's involvement in the situation of displacement of Palestinians by Israeli settlers is not directly addressed in this specific instance. The displacement of Palestinians by Israeli settlers continues to occur, contributing to ongoing human rights violations.
[1] Human Rights Watch, "Israel: Settler Violence Against Palestinians", 2020. [2] Amnesty International, "Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: Settler violence against Palestinians must end", 2019. [3] B'Tselem, "Demolitions and evictions of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank", 2021. [4] Al Jazeera, "Israeli settlers accused of forcing Palestinians off their land", 2023. [5] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, "Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Bulletin", various years.
- The ongoing displacement of Palestinians by Israeli settlers, often associated with systematic violence and intimidation, has been reported extensively in general news, politics, and war-and-conflicts sections, with human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, B'Tselem, and Al Jazeera providing extensive documentation.
- Despite the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) being involved in protecting a growing number of Israelis, their direct intervention in the situation of the displacement of Palestinians by Israeli settlers remains inconsistent, contributing to the continued human rights violations.
