In recent weeks, violence attributed to Israeli settlers has surged in the West Bank, raising concerns among local and international observers. Just when this story couldn’t get worse, someone set fire to a mosque in the West Bank village of Deir Istiya. Truly significant damage was inflicted, including burning copies of the Quran and vandalizing carpeting. This incident is the latest example of settler aggression, and a continuation of a disturbing, decades-long pattern.
October was an especially shocking month, as it saw the highest level of settler violence since 2006. Even Israeli President Isaac Herzog described these attacks as “shocking and serious,” stressing how critical it is to act to stop the erosion. The attack on the mosque wasn’t a fluke. Having withstood past attacks from settlers, this shows a concerted effort to attack Palestinian religious areas.
Patterns of Settler Violence
Settler violence in the West Bank is hardly novel, but recently released data show a dramatic upsurge in attacks. According to reports, 3,535 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence or access restrictions since the beginning of 2023. For Palestinians these acts are not garden-variety violations. Retaliation, they feel, is primarily what it’s intended to do, forcing them off their homelands and facilitating the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.
Israeli settlers have branched out increasingly beyond official settlement borders to establish new agricultural outposts. This expansion is frequently met with violence and intimidation against Palestinian residents, adding more fuel to the fire of ongoing conflict in the region. Israeli officials and supporters of the settler enterprise seek to obfuscate these attacks. In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, they argue that only a handful of extremists are to blame.
“We are not afraid,” “we will revenge again,” and “keep on condemning” – Israeli settlers (graffiti on the mosque)
The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, publicly condemned the violence, asserting that the military would not tolerate actions by “a minority of criminals who tarnish a law-abiding public.” His comments were meant to dissociate the Jewish community at large from the violent actions of these settlers.
Ineffectiveness of Investigations
Notwithstanding the denunciations from top officials, there is a prevailing impression that investigations into settler violence have been lackadaisical at best. Data indicates that about 94 percent of all investigation files opened by Israeli police regarding settler-related violence from 2005 to 2024 ended without indictment. What’s more, only 3 percent led to complete or partial convictions.
Palestinians and human rights advocates have long asserted that this culture of impunity perpetuates violence and emboldens aggressors to act with aggression. Major General Avi Bluth highlighted the challenges faced by security forces, noting that these incidents create distractions that “divert the attention of our forces from fulfilling their mission.”
Impact on Peace Efforts
The continued violence presents serious obstacles to the establishment of equitable and lasting peace throughout the region. We were heartened when U.S. Senator Marco Rubio recently warned that if left unchecked, developments in the West Bank could derail these bigger efforts in Gaza. Conflicts in one region can easily and rapidly move into another. This issue is still an inflammatory red line for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to this day.
As relations deteriorate even more, the Israeli government seems ever more radicalized and led by far-right supporters of the settler movement. This ideological shift makes civil, constructive conversation and mutual resolution next to impossible. Hardline positions often come into conflict with calls for moderation and peaceful coexistence.
