Surge in settler attacks linked to plan for West Bank annexation

The perilous escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, which intensified during the olive harvest season, is occurring without any deterrence or accountability, and often under the direct protection of the Israeli army, Euro‑Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor) said in a statement Sunday.

The statement further indicated that this forms part of a deliberate and systematic policy that uses settler violence to reinforce Israeli control, alongside rapid settlement expansion and land expropriation to impose de facto annexation and displace Palestinian residents.

The systematic escalation forms part of a broader effort to consolidate Israeli control over the West Bank by depopulating it and expanding the territorial and operational influence of settlements, the statement continued.

It added that this includes turning settlers into practical extensions of the army in attacks and land seizure operations, while imposing new patterns of field control that entrench separation and isolation between Palestinian communities, undermining any possibility of establishing a contiguous or independent Palestinian entity.

Euro-Med Monitor's field team has documented a marked increase in settler attacks against Palestinians in recent weeks, particularly farmers. These attacks have included physical assault, theft of olive harvests, burning of trees, destruction of property, and preventing access to agricultural land, the statement read.

The statement further stressed that dozens of incidents took place under the direct protection of Israeli forces, with soldiers participating in some of them, clearly indicating an integrated system aimed at persecuting and displacing Palestinians.

In addition, Euro-Med Monitor documented 324 settler attacks over 39 days, from the beginning of October until the evening of November 8, averaging eight attacks per day. Settler violence during the current olive harvest season is the highest in years, with approximately 163 incidents resulting in injuries to more than 143 Palestinians and the destruction of over 4,200 trees and saplings across 77 West Bank villages, the statement added.

It further noted that the attacks carried out by organised, militia-like armed settlers who launch from settlements and illegal outposts throughout the West Bank have become a systematic practice of armed violence against Palestinian civilians.